IOWA CITY, Iowa – The fourth-ranked Iowa women’s basketball team came away with a 76-73 buzzer-beater win over Michigan State on Tuesday night inside a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa improved to 14-1 on the season and 3-0 in conference play.
There were five lead changes and six ties in the matchup as All-American Caitlin Clark had a game-high 40 points and five assists. It was her fourth straight game with 35+ points.
Hannah Stuelke contributed 15 points and eight rebounds. Stuelke has netted 15+ points and shot 60% or better from the floor in four consecutive games.
Michigan State came out on an 8-0 run until Iowa responded with a run of its own going up 14-8 on the Spartans in the middle of the first quarter. The Hawkeyes held the lead until 1:15 left in the second quarter when Spartans went on another 9-0 to put them up 37-35 going into halftime.
The third quarter was scrappy with a score tied at 55 going into the final frame. Stuelke put the Hawkeyes up by two to start the fourth quarter and they remained in control until the Spartans rallied, tying the game at 73 with 22 seconds left to play. Clark was able to finish the game with buzzer-beater three from the logo to gives the Hawkeyes the win.
Walk-off Winner 🤯@CaitlinClark22 x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/BXqARKRcuA
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) January 3, 2024
Kate Martin finished with a career-high 11 rebounds and six points. Sydney Affolter and Molly Davis crashed the boards each recording seven rebounds, respectively.
POSTGAME NOTES
– The Hawkeyes are off to their sixth 14-1 start in program history.
– Head Coach Lisa Bluder notched her 250th career Big Ten regular season victory.
– Bluder has led Iowa to a pair of 14-1 starts.
– Iowa last started 14-1 in the 2017-18 season.
– National Player of the Year candidate, Caitlin Clark, hit a buzzer beater to win the game for Iowa.
– Clark recorded 40 points, five assists, three steals, a block and a rebound.
– Clark is now the NCAA’s fifth all-time leading scorer.
– Iowa is now 7-3 when Clark scores 40+ points.
– Molly Davis nearly registered a double-double with seven points and eight rebounds.
– Clark has scored 20+ points in 100-of-115 career games which is the most in program history.
– The Hawkeyes have won eight out of the last 10 meetings against the Spartans.
– Iowa is currently riding a Big Ten-best 11-game winning streak.
– The game featured six ties and five lead changes.
– Clark kept her alive streak of 73 consecutive games making a 3-point basket. (NCAA best)
– Clark is the first Division-I player to record 3,000+ points, 900+ assists, and 800+ rebounds in a career.
– Iowa has won five straight against MSU in CHA.
– UI snapped Michigan State’s four-game win streak.
– Iowa owns the longest active streak in the AP Top 5 at 10 consecutive weeks.
– 14 of Iowa women’s basketball’s 16 all-time sellout crowds inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena have happened in the last three seasons, with the other two coming in 1985 and 1988.
“We found a way to win. That is what good teams do. Caitlin has ice in her veins, everybody knows it. We talked about how our three-point defense had to be really good against Michigan State. Our goal was to hold them to eight or under, and we held them to seven. I think that was a very important part for us in this win.”
SUE P. BECKWITH, MD, HEAD COACH LISA BLUDER
THE REACTION
CAITLIN CLARK IS HER🤯
— Alex Morgan (@alexmorgan13) January 3, 2024
CAITLIN CLARK FOR THE WIN 🚨
WOW.
(via @NBCSports)
pic.twitter.com/POFbC5TKux— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 3, 2024
CAITLIN CLARK YOU ARE RIDICULOUS 🤯🤯🤯
The reigning @jerseymikes Naismith POTY called GAME from deeeeeep to cap off her 40-point night 🔥🔥🔥#JerseyMikesNaismith pic.twitter.com/UfH3zSDVUy
— Naismith Awards (@NaismithTrophy) January 3, 2024
40 PTS
8 3s
5 AST
3 STL
1 BLKCaitlin Clark was having a night to remember, even before she decided to hit the game-winning buzzer-beater. 🌟@CaitlinClark22 x @IowaWBB pic.twitter.com/mdRgfvOeF7
— Big Ten Women’s Basketball (@B1Gwbball) January 3, 2024
CAITLIN CLARK GAME WINNER 🔥😱
(📺 NBC Sports) pic.twitter.com/blVRwAbkBl
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 3, 2024
Caitlin Clark ties the record by any woman D-1 player over the last 25 seasons with her FOURTH straight 35+ point game 👏 pic.twitter.com/kDRs1hnGi7
— ESPN (@espn) January 3, 2024
CAITLIN CLARK DOES IT AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/pKY51gwSwB
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) January 3, 2024
Goooooood Morning :sunglasses:#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/pmFrHPq6xC
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) January 3, 2024
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UP NEXT
The fourth-ranked Hawkeyes will hit the road to face Rutgers on Jan. 5. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. (CT) inside a sold-out Jersey Mike’s Arena. The game will broadcast on BTN and the Hawkeye Radio Network.