No. 5 Hawkeyes get back on track with a 111-57 rout of Rutgers

IOWA CITY -- There was no hangover, no letdown.

And no mercy.

No. 5 Iowa piled up its most points in a Big Ten women’s basketball game, and the second-most in school history, in a 111-57 feel-good rout of Rutgers before a crowd of 13,150 Sunday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

“We bounced back pretty well after a disappointing loss (Thursday at Indiana),” Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said.

All 14 Hawkeyes played, and when Sharon Goodman converted off a feed from Shateah Wetering with 45 seconds left, all of them scored.

On a day in which none of the Hawkeyes shot more than seven times, Molly Davis scored a season-high 17 points.

“My teammates were getting me the ball,” said the senior transfer from Central Michigan. “I came in and tried not to think about it too much.

“The defense was sagging off me, and my teammates were finding me.”

Davis was one of five Hawkeyes to reach double figures. Caitlin Clark posted 15 points and 10 assists, Monika Czinano tallied 14, Taylor McCabe 12, Hannah Stuelke 10.

A freshman from Nebraska, McCabe got one of the biggest crowd responses on her third-quarter 3-point barrage.

“It was pretty fun, I can’t lie,” McCabe said. “I could hear it (from the bench). My teammates expect that from me. I proved them right, and I proved my coaches right.”

Iowa (20-5 overall, 12-2 Big Ten) led from the get-go. The Hawkeyes scored the first seven points and led 29-18 after one quarter, capping it on Davis’ drive and bucket at the horn.

“We ran one of our end-of-the-shot-clock plays,” Davis said. “I faked the ball to Caitlin, the defense bit, I got a floater and I got a really nice roll.”

The best was yet to come.

Iowa put together scoring strings of eight, 11 and nine points in the second quarter and led 60-28 at halftime. McCabe knocked down four 3-pointers in the last 4 minutes of a 37-point third quarter, and it was 97-40 with 10 minutes to go.

The Hawkeyes’ old record for points in a Big Ten game was 108, reached twice -- including earlier this season against Penn State. The record for points in all games is 115, against Evansville this season.

It’s a bit ironic that they tagged Rutgers (10-16, 4-10) -- traditionally a stellar defensive outfit -- for 111. Iowa’s previous largest margin against the Scarlet Knights was 14 points.

Rutgers is operating with a roster of eight players, and Iowa was the superior team on this day by a wide, wide margin.

“I know (Rutgers Coach) Coquese (Washington) is rebuilding the program,” Bluder said. “She will recruit and get that program back up.”

Iowa built a 44-20 advantage on the glass, and Clark’s 10 assists led the Hawkeyes’ total of 29. Sydney Affolter added six of them, Kate Martin five.

And Iowa’s bench scored 61 points.

“That’s important to us,” Bluder said. “It wasn’t just that we won the game, it’s how we won the game.”

The Hawkeyes will host Wisconsin in their second-to-last regular-season home game at 6:30 Wednesday night.

Iowa 111, Rutgers 57

At Iowa City

RUTGERS (57): Erica Lafayette 3-7 0-0 6, Chyna Cornwell 2-5 0-0 4, Kassondra Brown 3-10 0-0 6, Kaylene Smikle 9-14 8-8 28, Awa Sidibe 1-7 2-2 4, Kai Carter 3-12 0-0 6, Antonia Bates 0-4 0-0 0, Abby Streeter 1-3 0-0 3. Totals 22-62 10-10 57.

IOWA (111): McKenna Warnock 3-6 0-0 7, Monika Czinano 4-7 6-6 14, Kate Martin 3-3 0-0 6, Caitlin Clark 4-7 5-6 15, Gabbie Marshall 3-4 0-0 8, Hannah Stuelke 4-6 2-4 10, Molly Davis 5-7 5-5 17, Sydney Affolter 2-4 2-2 6, Taylor McCabe 4-7 0-0 12, Shateah Wetering 1-4 0-0 2, Addison O’Grady 3-3 0-0 6, Jada Gyamfi 1-1 1-2 4, A.J. Ediger 1-2 0-0 2, Sharon Goodman 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 39-62 21-25 111.

Rutgers 18 10 12 15 -- 57

Iowa 29 31 37 14 -- 111

3-point goals: Rutgers 3-17 (Lafayette 0-3, Brown 0-1, Smikle 2-4, Carter 0-2, Bates 0-4, Streeter 1-3), Iowa 12-22 (Warnock 1-2, Clark 2-4, Marshall 2-2, Davis 2-4, Affolter 0-1, McCabe 4-7, Wetering 0-1, Gyamfi 1-1). Team fouls: Rutgers 17, Iowa 10. Fouled out: none. Technical: Carter. Rebounds: Rutgers 20 (Smikle 5), Iowa 44 (Czinano, Martin, Stuelke 5). Assists: Rutgers 6 (Carter 3), Iowa 29 (Clark 10). Steals: Rutgers 8 (Smikle 5), Iowa 9 (Clark 3). Turnovers: Rutgers 15, Iowa 12.

Attendance: 13,150.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com