IOWA CITY, Iowa- The 2-Seed University of Iowa women’s basketball team advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the third time since 2019 after defeating 10-Seed Georgia, 74-66, inside a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday afternoon.
Four players finished in double digits, as National Player of the Year candidate, Caitlin Clark led Iowa with her 16th double-double of the season with 22 points, 12 assists, and three rebounds. Monika Czinano flirted with her own double-double, scoring 20 points and nine rebounds. Gabbie Marshall went 5-for-8 from behind the arc, finishing with 15 points and McKenna Warnock had 14 points and eight rebounds.
Georgia had the first two buckets of the game, but the Hawkeyes went on a, 7-0, scoring run to take a four-point lead. Clark and Czinano had a combined 12 points to go into the second quarter with a, 19-17, lead.
Court is in session 👩⚖️@CaitlinClark22 x @MCzinano
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 19, 2023
Marshall swished her first three at the start of the second to get things rolling for Iowa. Back-to-back threes from Warnock and Marshall put Iowa up by 10. Georgia didn’t back down, going on its own scoring run, but Marshall stepped in, sinking her third three of the quarter. Turnovers allowed the Lady Bulldogs to regain a one-point lead, but a dish from Kate Martin gave Czinano an easy bucket to go up by one. The Hawkeyes were able to hold onto the lead and go into halftime with a 41-40, lead.
Both teams struggled to make a basket at the start of the third, but Clark swished a three to take a 3-point lead. The Hawkeyes went on a, 7-0, run at the end of the quarter to go into the final quarter up by four.
The Law Firm duo, Clark and Czinano, had 14 of the team’s 16 points in the fourth to solidify the win and advance to Seattle.
Hawkeyes are 𝗛𝗬𝗣𝗘𝗗 👏#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/kiAH5K7a5F
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 19, 2023
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• Coming into the game, Iowa has been shooting 50% or better from the field in eight straight quarters. The Hawkeyes continued that streak into the first half for 10 consecutive quarters dating back to the Big Ten Title game.
• Iowa is 8-3 in the NCAA Tournament since 2019.
• With 15 of the 16 sites reporting attendance, Iowa had the largest first round crowd among the host sites at 14,382.
• Iowa improved to 17-1 on its home floor.
• In tournament play, Gabbie Marshall is 19-33 from 3-point range. (58.5%)
• Lisa Bluder has led the Hawkeyes to four Sweet 16s in her tenure.
• In program history, Iowa has been to the Sweet 16 nine times.
• Clark has scored 20 or more points 31 times this season.
• Clark became the second Hawkeye ever to record 900 or more points in a single season.
• Clark is the third player in Big Ten history to net 900 points in a single season.
• Iowa has been to the Sweet 16 three times since 2019.
• Clark (291) broke the Big Ten conference record for most assists previously held by Ohio State’s Samantha Prahalis (289 in 2009-10).
• Iowa has continued to set the pace among NCAA Tournament first- and second-round sites in terms of attendance, selling out Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the third consecutive session (dating back to last year) with 14,382 fans on hand for Friday’s first-round session in Iowa City. That ties last year’s figures as the third-largest crowds for any single first or second round session in NCAA Tournament history. Today’s second-round game between Iowa and Georgia is also sold out, which will give Iowa a combined 28,764 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena for both sessions this season, tying the program’s total last year for the fourth-largest combined first/second round attendance figure in NCAA Tournament history.
• Iowa is 11-4 all-time as 2-Seed in the NCAA Tournament.
• Monika Czinano registered 20 points and nine rebounds.
• Iowa’s 28 wins ties for second most in program history.
• The Hawkeyes have sold out three consecutive games and eight in school history. Iowa ranks second nationally in average attendance.
• Since 2008, Bluder’s teams own a 230-42 record inside of Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
• Clark is the only player in the nation with more than 900 points, 240 rebounds, 280 assists, and 45 steals this season.
Oh so 𝗦𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗧.#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/RJtpyZJTdX
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 19, 2023
QUOTING P. SUE BECKWITH, MD, HEAD COACH LISA BLUDER
“Just thrilled. Getting through this game. Georgia is an excellent basketball team. And obviously, we had to play very, very well in order to get this victory today. Caitlin has a double-double. Gabbie, her adjusted field goal percentage shooting is 83%. 5/8 from 3-point range. Through the tournament games, she has 19/33. 57% from 3-point range. In our Big 10 Tournament and now in this tournament. She has been outstanding. The main thing I’m going to say is to our crowd. We had the best attendance of all 16 of the sites across the country. The Hawk fans are amazing, and we needed every one of them today. So a big, big thank you to the Iowa Hawkeye fans.”
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you to the 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻!”@LisaBluder x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/6Iq6tGvS3q
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 19, 2023
UP NEXT
2-Seed Iowa will await the winner of 3-Seed Duke and 6-Seed Colorado in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in Seattle, Washington. Game time and TV designation will be released at a later date.
