LINCOLN, NE – The No. 22 ranked Iowa women’s basketball team earned their first Big Ten road win after defeating Nebraska, 95-86, Sunday afternoon inside Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Hawkeyes shot 61.7 percent from field-goal range and 57.9 from beyond the arc.
Makenna Warnock earned her 11th career and second-season double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds. The junior registered new career-high — seven 3-pointers. Sophomore Caitlin Clark recorded her sixth season and 16th career double-double with 31 points and 12 assists, marking her third-consecutive 30-point game. Senior Monika Czinano scored 20 points and grabbed five rebounds.
“This one feels good,” said said P. Sue Beckwith, MD, Head Coach Lisa Bluder. “This was a very good win against a very good basketball team. Coming into this incredible environment and having them coming off a high, beating Michigan by 20. This was Iowa basketball. We have been waiting for this to happen, and today it did. There were so many people who had a great game. Makenna had a double-double, Caitlin had a double-double, and Monika shot the ball well. This was Iowa basketball back”
Iowa went on a 7-0 scoring run in the first quarter with field goals from Czinano and Warnock to increase their lead to 10. Clark and Czinano scored 21 of Iowa’s 27 points in the first 10 minutes of play.
The Hawkeyes never gave up the lead in the first half as scoring contribution was balanced with points from redshirt junior Kate Martin, junior Gabbie Marshall, Clark, Czinano and Warnock shooting 73.3 percent from field-goal range. Iowa went into half with a 52-46 lead over the Cornhuskers.
Clark made a fast-break layup off an opponent turnover to carry the momentum into the third quarter. The Big Ten Player of the week recorded 11-of-22 points in the quarter, shooting three free-throws in the final seconds to take a 74-70 lead going into the final 10 minutes.
Nebraska would take a 79-78 lead in the fourth, but freshman Aj Ediger would pull down an offensive rebound and dish it out to Martin for a three-pointer to take back the lead, 81-79. The Hawkeyes scored the last five points of the game to come away with the victory.
GAME NOTES
· Junior McKenna Warnock tied her career-best 3-pointers made in the first half, shooting 5-for-5 from beyond the arc and a perfect 6-for-6 in the first 20 minutes of play. Warnock broke her 3-point record with 7:25 left in the third quarter and extended it to X 3-pointers.
· Sophomore Caitlin Clark recorded her sixth season and 16th career double-double, notching 31 points and 12 assists, and Warnock registered her second season and 11th career double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
· Clark recorded her third-consecutive 30-point game and is averaging 28.3 points in Big Ten play.
· Three Hawkeyes scored 20-plus points, including Clark (31), Warnock (23) and Czinano (20).
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes travel to Indiana to face Purdue on Thursday, January 13. The Big Ten matchup starts at 6 p.m. (CT). Live stream will be on B1G+.