IUPUI erases 18-point deficit, stuns No. 15 Iowa

IOWA CITY — Mid-major opponent.

Major collapse.

Rachel McLimore hit two free throws with 3.1 seconds left to complete an improbable comeback, and IUPUI stunned 15th-ranked Iowa, 74-73, in a non-conference women’s basketball eye-opener Tuesday afternoon in front of an announced crowd of 4,632 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Jaguars (5-4) trailed by as many as 18 points in the third quarter.

“The film never lies,” Iowa’s Caitlin Clark said. “It’s going to show areas in which we froze up. We got too stagnant on offense; we had too many turnovers.”

Iowa (6-3) was methodical and sharp for about 25 minutes. The Hawkeyes’ high-water mark was 54-36 on Monika Czinano’s basket. It was 62-47 at the end of the third quarter, 65-49 on Gabbie Marshall’s 3-pointer with 9:35 to go.

Then the Jaguars raced back, and the Hawkeyes had no response. Clark’s assessment of “froze up,” yeah, that was pretty accurate.

“Obviously, we’ve got work to do,” Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said. “We’ve got to figure it out.”

A member of the mid-major Horizon League, IUPUI outscored the Hawkeyes 25-8 at the end. The Jaguars hurt the Hawkeyes from the perimeter, from the paint and from the free-throw line.

“We got really, really outplayed in the fourth quarter,” Bluder said.

McLimore was fouled by Clark on a drive to the basket and calmly hit both free throws.

Bluder called timeout, allowing the ball to be advanced to the front court. The Jaguars had a foul to give, and gave it with 2.5 seconds left.

Iowa inbounded from under the basket, but Czinano’s 13-foot fadeaway hit the front of the rim as time expired, and the collapse was complete.

McLimore and post Macee Williams fueled the comeback. Williams scored 15 of her 19 points in the final 13 minutes. McLimore had 12 of her 19 in the last quarter.

Madison Wise, a transfer from Iowa State, added 12 points.

Czinano’s basket with 1:38 remaining gave Iowa a 73-70 advantage, but Williams answered at the 0:45 mark to keep the pressure on the Hawkeyes, and Iowa turned it over on its next possession.

Czinano finished with 23 points for the Hawkeyes. Clark added 19 points and 11 rebounds, boosting her career point total to 997.

Iowa was 4 of 22 from 3-point range.

“We’re not shooting the 3 well, and I can’t explain it,” Bluder said. “It’s frustrating.”

Iowa opened with the first nine points, prompting a Jaguars timeout less than 3 minutes into the game. The Hawkeyes led 44-32 at halftime.

The Hawkeyes scatter for four days before reconvening for practice Sunday. With a 1-0 Big Ten record, they resume league play Dec. 30 at Penn State, then return home for a Jan. 2 date with Illinois.

When they return, a crossroads awaits. This was a group that was talking Final Four not so long ago.

Instead, they’re in danger of dropping out of the top 25.

“For us, it’s a matter of making a choice to do better, to be better,” Clark said. “We can be so much better. We are so much better. I still believe in this team, no matter what.”

IUPUI 74, Iowa 73

At Iowa City

IUPUI (74): Rachel Kent 3-8 0-0 9, Macee Williams 8-12 3-7 19, Destiny Perkins 0-5 1-2 1, Madison Wise 3-9 4-4 12, Rachel McLimore 6-12 5-5 19, Morgan Allen 2-4 1-2 5, Anna Mortag 2-5 0-0 6, Natalie Andersen 1-1 0-0 3, Ali Berg 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-57 14-20 74.

IOWA (73): McKenna Warnock 3-7 0-0 7, Monika Czinano 11-18 1-2 23, Kate Martin 3-9 2-2 8, Caitlin Clark 6-16 6-6 19, Gabbie Marshall 2-4 0-0 6, Tomi Taiwo 0-1 0-2 0, Kylie Feuerbach 1-4 2-2 4, Logan Cook 1-1 0-0 2, Addison O’Grady 2-3 0-0 4, Sydney Affolter 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-63 11-14 73.

IUPUI 16 16 15 27 — 74

Iowa 25 19 18 11 — 73

3-point goals: IUPUI 10-27 (Kent 3-8, Perkins 0-5, Wise 2-6, McLimore 2-2, Mortag 2-4, Andersen 1-1, Berg 0-1), Iowa 4-22 (Warnock 1-4, Martin 0-5, Clark 1-7, Marshall 2-3, Taiwo 0-1, Feuerbach 0-1, O’Grady 0-1). Team fouls: IUPUI 13, Iowa 15. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: IUPUI 34 (Williams, Perkins, Wise 7), Iowa 36 (Clark 11). Assists: IUPUI 11 (Williams 3), Iowa 17 (Clark 4). Steals: IUPUI 4 (four with 1), Iowa 8 (Martin 3). Turnovers: IUPUI 16, Iowa 14.

Attendance: 4,632.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com