IOWA CITY, Iowa – The nationally-ranked Iowa women’s basketball team got their seven-straight win after knocking off No. 8 Maryland, 96-82, inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Thursday night. It was Iowa’s third win against an AP top-10 team, which ties for second-most in school history in a single season.
Three Hawkeyes surpassed double-digits, as National Player of the Year candidate Caitlin Clark led the Hawkeyes going 13-for-19 from the field to finish with 42 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. Monika Czinano registered her ninth 20-point game, scoring 28 points and six rebounds. Freshman standout, Hannah Stuelke, finished with 13 points.
Iowa got off on a hot start, shooting 68% from the field in the first quarter. The Hawkeyes went on two different, 7-0, scoring runs to take an 11-point lead to head into the second. Five different players scored, with Clark going 5-for-6 from the field.
Clark and Czinano had 25 of Iowa’s 27 points in the second quarter, as Czinano went a perfect 6-for-6 from the field. The Hawkeyes went into halftime with a, 56-38, lead. Iowa was two points shy of tying its own record for most point in the first half against a Big Ten foe.
Maryland went on a, 7-0, scoring run in the third quarter to come within 10, but Clark and Stuelke had a combined 12 points coming out of the media timeout to take a 14-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
Clark had 13 points in the fourth quarter to give Iowa’s 10th conference win, and to give Maryland their fifth loss of the season.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Clark joined Monika Czinano and McKenna Warnock as the first trio in Iowa women’s basketball history to notch more than 1,100 points and 600 career rebounds.
- Czinano has registered 20 or more points in four out of the last five games.
- Czinano tied a career-high with two steals.
- Iowa snapped its four-game losing streak against Maryland.
- Clark extended her streak of scoring in double figures an astounding 74 games, which is a NCAA Division I best.
- At halftime, Clark and Czinano netted 18 of Iowa’s 24 field goals.
- Monika Czinano has shot at least 70% from the field in six of the last seven games. She was 14-18 tonight.
- The Hawkeyes had three players dish out five or most assists.
- Clark has netted a 3-point basket in 41 straight games. She has hit at least one 3-pointer in 82 career games.
- It was Clark’s 13th game this season with +25 points, +5 rebounds, and +5 assists which is an NCAA best. She has done it 35 times in her career.
- Clark is now 10th in Big Ten women’s basketball history for all-time assists.
- McKenna Warnock made her return to Iowa’s starting lineup after missing the last two games.
- It was Clark’s sixth career 40-point performance and second of the season.
- Clark is the only player in the nation with more than 570 points, 170 rebounds, 170 assists, and 30 steals this season.
- The Hawkeyes have won 13 out of its last 14 games dating back to Dec. 4, 2022.
QUOTING P. SUE BECKWITH, MD, HEAD COACH LISA BLUDER
“Extremely happy with how we played. Our bench produced big time and we defended the 3-point line well too. I’m not sure how you can’t call Clark the National Player of the Year with the season she has had. Czinano did her thing on the low block and was unbelievably efficient. I’m really proud of this group with the fire they played with.”
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UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes are set to travel to Penn State on Feb. 5. Tip-off in State College is set for 11 a.m. (CT) inside the Bryce Jordan Center. The game will broadcast on BTN and the Hawkeye Radio Network.
