Iowa’s Monika Czinano: Perfect from the field, perfect from the line in NCAA tournament win

IOWA CITY — Get that girl the ball.

That was Lisa Bluder’s postgame message, and her only complaint, after eighth-ranked Iowa whacked Illinois State, 98-58, in the first round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament Friday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

“I'm just kind of disappointed (Monika Czinano) didn't get more shots,” Bluder said. “She's 6-for-6, she's perfect from the field, she's perfect from the free-throw line, 6-for-6.

“Why are we not giving her more shots? That's what I want to know.”

Czinano was absent from the Hawkeyes’ attack for the better part of the first half, taking only one shot in the first 17 minutes.

Then she went on a tear.

With Iowa (24-7) holding a 34-27 lead, Czinano converted inside for a basket. Then Gabbie Marshall stole the inbounds pass, the Hawkeyes worked it around and Czinano converted a three-point play.

A seven-point lead suddenly was 12.

“You know, she can take over a game inside,” Bluder said. “She's so talented. But yeah, we've got to give her the ball a little bit more, too, to let her go to work.”

Czinano struck again from inside, Tomi Taiwo turned a steal into a layup, and Iowa led 43-29 at halftime.

A senior who already has announced that she will return to Iowa for a fifth season next year, Czinano averages 20.9 points per game. Her 6-for-6 performance from the field upped her national-leading field-goal accuracy rate to 68.3 percent.

“She’s the best field goal shooter in the country so we want to get her the ball as much as we can,” Caitlin Clark said. “I think she's the best big in the country, hands down. I'm always looking for her, and I think she knows that. She always has here eyes up looking, and we really needed to get her involved.”

Another sellout Sunday vs. Creighton

University of Iowa officials announced that Sunday’s second-round game against Creighton is another sellout: 14,382.

A tip time had not been announced as of 7 p.m.

The Hawkeyes and the Bluejays are familiar with one another. Each year, the Jays journey to Iowa City for a secret scrimmage closed to the public.

“My thought is why the heck do we schedule them every year on our home court and let them come in here and have that game? That's kind of what my mind is going through right now,” Bluder said. “I know they feel very confident coming out here because they play here every single year in that closed scrimmage.”

No. 10-seed Creighton (21-9) gathered itself after an early Colorado surge and sidelined the 7-seed Buffaloes, 84-74.

“I feel like we just kind of settled in,” Creighton sophomore Lauren Jensen said. “Naturally, it's the NCAA tournament, so we might have had some jitters there to start the game. Once we settled in, started making more reads, and handling their pressure, that was good for us.“

Jensen was a deep substitute for Iowa last year as a freshman, then entered the transfer portal. She is the Bluejays’ second-leading scorer this season and tallied 16 Friday.

Rachael Saunders, a redshirt junior from Iowa City West, came off the bench and added five points and five rebounds.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com