MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The No. 6 Iowa women’s basketball team hammered the Minnesota Golden Gophers, 108-60, at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Wednesday evening.
Iowa was led by star guard Caitlin Clark, who finished with 33 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds, her 17th career triple-double. Guards Gabbie Marshall and Taylor McCabe were Iowa’s next leading scorers with 16 and 15, respectively.
The Golden Gophers came into Wednesday’s matchup with a 15-12 record on the season, losing eight of their last nine games. Head coach Dawn Plitzuweit’s squad was without leading scorer guard Mara Braun for the contest, who was averaging 17.8 points per game before suffering a season-ending foot injury in a loss to Illinois on Jan. 28.
After winning the toss, Clark set the tone early for Iowa by hitting a quick three-pointer atop the key. The NCAA women’s all-time leading scorer followed this up by hitting three more threes on the Hawkeyes’ next possessions, going on a 12-0 run in less than three minutes before Plitzuweit called a timeout.
Following the timeout, guard Maggie Czinano got the Golden Gophers on the board with a three from the left wing. But Clark, never to be outmatched, hit her fourth consecutive three on Iowa’s next possession.
Next, guard Molly Davis stripped forward Mallory Heyer, and Clark recovered the pass and found Kate Martin underneath the basket for two points.
Iowa was on a 16-3 run following threes from Clark and guard Kylie Feuerbach, with the latter making two three-pointers in the first quarter.
Clark would go to the bench with a little over two minutes remaining in the first, which might have given Minnesota some momentum, as the Golden Gophers went on an 8-0 run to get the lead to 30-16 heading into the second quarter.
Minnesota guard Amanya Battle air-balled on her team’s first shooting attempt of the quarter. After, the hot hand for Clark continued as she hit threes on back-to-back Iowa possessions.
Iowa held Minnesota scoreless for the next six minutes, and the Hawkeyes would go on a 16-0 run following threes from Marshall and McCabe.
Grocholski scored the Golden Gophers first points of the quarter on a mid-range jumper, and Minnesota followed that up with back-to-back baskets by Battle.
But whenever Minnesota seemed to gain momentum, the Hawkeyes’ would get hot from beyond the arc, as Feurbach hit her third three-pointer of the game with over a minute remaining before halftime.
As the second half began, Iowa led 53-26.
No letting up
The third quarter was the Gabbie Marshall show from beginning to end, with the fifth-year senior scoring eight points on 3-3 shooting, including a pair of threes. Marshall also recorded a steal on Battle with four minutes remaining in the quarter and scored on the fastbreak layup.
The Hawkeyes outscored Minnesota 33-22 in the third quarter, as the Hawkeyes forced three turnovers and had three players score off the bench.
A defensive rebound off a Grocholski miss would give Clark her 10th rebound of the game and her second straight game recording a triple-double. A Feuerbach free throw with seconds remaining in the quarter would put Iowa up 38 points heading into the fourth.
Hannah Stuelke scored her third basket of the night to begin the fourth quarter for Iowa off the assist from Marshall.
A fourth-quarter comeback wasn’t in the cards for Minnesota, and by the three-minute mark, nearly all starters for Iowa had been subbed out, which allowed for Iowa’s bench to get some shine.
McCabe hit four three-pointers in the fourth quarter, including three in the final two and a half minutes.
Forward Jada Gyamfi got the rebound off a Brynn Senden miss, and the Hawkyes would win 108-60.
Up next
Iowa, now 25-4, returns to Carver-Hawkeye Arena Sunday, March. 3, for their regular season finale to face off against No. 2 Ohio State, who defeated the Hawkeyes during the two teams first matchup Jan. 21.
