No. 2 Iowa women’s basketball wins Big Ten Tournament, boasts two players on All-Tournament team

The Hawkeyes are a projected one seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Colin Votzmeyer, Assistant Sports Editor

March 12, 2024

Iowa guard Caitlin Clark lifts up a piece of the net during a basketball game between No. 2 Iowa and No. 5 Nebraska at the TIAA Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn., on Sunday, March 10, 2024. The Hawkeyes defeated the Cornhuskers in overtime, 94-89.

The No. 2 Iowa women’s basketball team is the Big Ten Tournament Champion for the third-straight year.

The tournament, held from March 6-10 inside the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, saw the second-seeded Hawkeyes outlast the fifth-seeded Nebraska Cornhuskers, 94-89, in an overtime thriller.

There, Caitlin Clark — despite scoring just four points in the first half — finished the game with 34 points and 12 assists. But the win was a team effort around her.

Kate Martin drilled a pair of massive threes down the stretch to keep the Hawkeyes close. Similarly, second-year forward Hannah Stuelke scored 25 points, nailing a pair of free throws to seal the win after a big Gabbie Marshall block on a Cornhusker three-point attempt.

Clark earned Most Outstanding Player of the tournament for the third-straight year: Even as she struggled to shoot the ball over the course of Iowa’s three games, she found other means of putting the ball in the bucket and facilitating the offense to help her teammates do the same.

Joining her on the All-Tournament team was guard Sydney Affolter, who stepped up big and filled injured guard Molly Davis’ role in the starting lineup with her scrappy defense and persistent presence around the paint and on the boards.

With the win, ESPN currently projects Iowa to be a one seed — its first since 1992 — in the Albany 2 region of the 2024 NCAA Tournament come Selection Sunday this upcoming Sunday, so the Hawkeyes would host the first two rounds inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City from March 22-25.

ESPN thus projects Iowa will play the winner of the play-in game between Sacred Heart and Holy Cross, the subsequent winner playing the winner of Florida State against Alabama in the second round.

Also projected in that region are the AP Poll’s No. 6 UCLA as well as Paige Bueckers and No. 10 UConn and No. 18 Colorado as two, three, and four seeds, respectively.

About the Contributors

Colin Votzmeyer, Assistant Sports Editor

he/him/his

Colin Votzmeyer is a junior at the University of Iowa studying journalism and mass communication with minors in history and criminology, law, and justice. Prior to his role as assistant sports editor, he previously served as digital producer, news reporter covering crime, cops, and courts, and sports reporter covering track and field and women's basketball. He plans on attending law school after his graduation with hopes of pursuing a career as a criminal defense attorney.

Grace Smith, Senior photojournalist and filmmaker

she/her/hers

Grace Smith is a fourth-year student at the University of Iowa double majoring in Journalism and Cinematic Arts. In her four years at The Daily Iowan, she has held the roles of photo editor, managing summer editor, and visual storyteller. Outside of The Daily Iowan, Grace has held an internship at The Denver Post and pursued freelance assignments for the Cedar Rapids Gazette and the Des Moines Register.