IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Iowa women’s basketball team secured its third Big Ten Conference win of the season after defeating Purdue, 83-68, on Thursday night inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Nine Hawkeyes scored, and four finished in double figures.
Monika Czinano eclipsed 2,000 career points; she is the fifth Iowa women’s basketball player to do so, as well as the 38th Big Ten Conference player to surpass 2,000 points since the Big Ten incorporated women’s athletics in 1981-82. Czinano reached double figures for the 10th time this year, finishing with 12 points and five rebounds.
All-American Caitlin Clark had 11 of the team’s 20 points in the first quarter. She finished with a team-high 24 points, six rebounds, and five assists. At the start of the second half, freshman standout Hannah Stuelke grabbed two offensive rebounds for two easy putbacks to give Iowa a 13-point lead. Stuelke recorded her first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. The Hawkeyes went on a 13-0 run at the end of the second, as McKenna Warnock sunk back-to-back threes. Warnock netted a season-high five 3-point field goals, finishing just shy of her 13th career double-double with a season-high 19 points and nine boards.
Kate Martin dished out two assists to Warnock at the start of the third to keep Iowa’s momentum. Martin ended with a season-high eight rebounds, five points, and three assists. The Hawkeyes went on another 6-0 run at the start of the fourth to put Purdue away.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- No. 12/10 Iowa defeated Purdue, 83-68, inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Thursday night.
- Czinano is the second Hawkeye in as many games to reach that milestone, with junior guard Caitlin Clark scoring her 2,000th career point in Iowa’s win over Dartmouth on Dec. 21.
- Czinano and Caitlin Clark are the first pair of teammates in Big Ten women’s basketball history to reach that landmark in the same season.
- Clark has netted a 3-point basket in 33 straight games. She has hit at least one 3-pointer in 74 career games.
- Clark is the only player in the nation with more than 355 points, 100 rebounds, 90 assists, and 25 steals this year.
- Czinano reached double figures for the 10th time this year, fifth time with 20 or more points.
- It was Iowa’s 10th win by 10 or more points this season.
- Iowa has welcomed more than 8,100 fans into Carver-Hawkeye Arena in seven straight contests.
- Iowa ended the first half on a 13-3 run that lasted 3:49 to head into the locker room up, 44-23.
- The Hawkeyes improved to 8-1 inside CHA.
- Tonight’s attendance of 11,942 marks the third time this season Iowa has had more than 11,000 on hand which is a Big Ten best.
- Warnock now has 626 career boards and ranks 19th all-time at Iowa.
- Martin now ranks 19th all-time at Iowa with 294 career assists.
- Clark ranks fourth all-time with 568 career assists.
- Clark now ranks 27th all-time in career rebounds with 539.
- Warnock now has 151 career 3-pointers and ranks 12th all-time at Iowa.
QUOTING P. SUE BECKWITH, MD, HEAD COACH LISA BLUDER
“Congratulations to Monika Czinano, that’s truly a huge accomplishment and it’s an elite group of players. I really like how we came out and took it to them in the first half. It was one of the best halves of basketball I’ve seen this group play this year. McKenna Warnock was spectacular tonight, she truly does it all. I also want to give our fans a shoutout, late game on a weeknight. Our fans are really the best in the country.”
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UP NEXT
The nationally ranked Hawkeyes are set to travel to Illinois on Jan. 1. Tip-off in Champaign is set for 2 p.m. (CT) inside the State Farm Center. The game will broadcast on BTN and the Hawkeye Radio Network.
