With seconds remaining in the Iowa women’s basketball team’s second-round NCAA Tournament matchup against West Virginia, Caitlin Clark scored her final two points in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on a pair of free throws.
Luckily for Hawkeye fans, this won’t be the last time they see Clark and the rest of the seniors suit up in black and gold this season as the team beat West Virginia, 64-54, to advance to the Sweet 16 for the third time in the past four seasons.
“I’m very grateful to be able to play in an environment that supports women’s athletics the way [Iowa] does,” Clark said in the post-game press conference. “I can’t believe I just played my last game here.”
The over 15,000 fans in attendance were treated to a signature performance from Clark in her last game in Iowa City, with the reigning Naismith Player of the Year recording 32 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Clark’s 32 points also put her at 1,113 points for the season, breaking the previous single-season record set by former Washington guard Kelsey Plum.
Clark said she has closure knowing she finished her career playing at Carver on a good note with a win.
“I would have never left the court if I wasn’t forced to get off,” Clark said. “I hope there are a lot of times where I can come back and be in the crowd at a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena, cheering for young girls that want to be like us.”
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Iowa during Monday night’s contest, though. The Mountaineers were able to hold the No. 1 scoring offense in the country — averaging 92.8 points per game coming into the game — to just 64 points and kept it close for a majority of the contest before falling into foul trouble late in the fourth quarter.
“To me, this is like one of the hardest rounds in the NCAA Tournament: Everybody’s really good, and you’re expected to win on your home court,” Clark said. “We have all the pressure in the world, and they have absolutely nothing to lose to come in here and upset us.”
Clark said even though it wasn’t the team’s prettiest performance, she said it can still learn a lot from how it handled West Virginia’s pressure.
“I really do think that was one of the better defensive teams we’ve seen all year,” head coach Lisa Bluder said. “We found a way to win in a different way, and we won with our defense tonight.”
Clark had two steals, and forward Hannah Stuelke notched a career-high four blocks.
The Hawkeyes now look ahead to their next matchup against No. 5 seed Colorado, which will be a rematch from last year’s Sweet 16. Iowa beat the Buffaloes, 87-77, on the way to the program’s first national championship appearance.
Now that Clark has the single-season record to add to her long list of accolades, the only thing escaping her is a national championship ring, which she says is her top priority.
“My goal is to help this team win a national title and have a lot of fun while doing it and enjoy every single second because it’s gone in the blink of an eye,” she said.