Iowa Women’s Basketball Suffers Defeat at Indiana: Caitlin Clark and Lisa Bluder React
In a disappointing turn of events, the Iowa women’s basketball team faced a crushing defeat at the hands of Indiana, with a final score of 86-69. The game took place at Assembly Hall on Thursday, leaving the Hawkeyes reeling from their biggest margin of defeat this season. Star player Caitlin Clark managed to score 24 points, but her performance was marred by inefficiency, shooting just 8-of-26 from the field and 3-of-16 from beyond the arc.
Despite Clark’s efforts, only two other players, Kate Martin with 19 points and Hannah Stuelke with 10, managed to reach double digits in scoring. The rest of the team struggled to make a significant impact on the game. As a team, Iowa shot 38.8% from the field, a far cry from their usual standards.
One of the major factors contributing to Iowa’s loss was the discrepancy in three-point shooting. Indiana managed to shoot an impressive 42.9% from deep, making 9-of-21 attempts. In contrast, Iowa struggled from beyond the arc, shooting a mere 17.9% on 5-of-28 attempts.
Indiana’s Sara Scalia and Yarden Garzon were instrumental in their team’s victory, with Scalia scoring 25 points and going 3-of-8 from deep, while Garzon contributed 15 points and went 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Interestingly, during Iowa’s previous win over Indiana earlier this season, these two players combined for just 17 points on 7-of-19 shooting.
Apart from the shooting woes, Iowa also struggled to match Indiana’s intensity and physicality. The Hoosiers played with a level of aggression that the Hawkeyes were unable to match, further complicating their chances of a comeback.
The first half of the game was particularly challenging for Iowa, with Caitlin Clark being the only player to make a significant impact, scoring 20 of the team’s 33 points. Indiana capitalized on their three-point shooting, shooting 40% from deep, while Iowa struggled at just 21.4%. The lack of intensity from the Hawkeyes was evident, as the Hoosiers played with a noticeable edge.
Heading into halftime, Iowa found themselves trailing by 11 points, with a tough task ahead of them. However, their deficit quickly ballooned to 16 points less than two minutes into the third quarter. Despite a brief resurgence and a 6-0 run, Iowa couldn’t maintain momentum as Indiana’s Sydney Parrish hit back-to-back threes to extend their lead.
Although Iowa managed to reduce the deficit to eight points by the end of the third quarter, Indiana shut the door on any hopes of a comeback. They outscored Iowa by nine points in the fourth quarter, ultimately winning the game by a comfortable margin of 17 points.
This defeat dealt a significant blow to Iowa’s chances of winning the Big Ten title or even securing a share of it. With a conference record of 12-3, the Hawkeyes now find themselves behind Ohio State and Indiana in the standings. Ohio State currently leads the group with a 14-1 conference record, while Indiana sits at 13-3.
Iowa’s path to the Big Ten title has become much more challenging, especially with Ohio State in control of their own destiny. The Hawkeyes have three more games remaining in the regular season against Illinois (home), Minnesota (away), and Ohio State (home). To have any chance of running the table and securing the title, Iowa must win all three games and hope for favorable results elsewhere.
This defeat highlights some of Iowa’s earlier collapses this season, particularly blowing fourth-quarter leads against Ohio State and Nebraska on the road. These missed opportunities have left little room for error, and losing in a challenging environment like Assembly Hall further jeopardizes their chances of winning the conference title.
Thursday’s loss may prove to be a significant setback for Iowa in the race for the Big Ten title. The team must regroup quickly and find a way to bounce back in their remaining games if they hope to salvage their season.