Same Sweet 16 story: Iowa eliminates Colorado, 89-68

ALBANY, N.Y. — Just like last year. Only, more emphatically.

Second-ranked Iowa played loose, free and happy, and left No. 17 Colorado behind, 89-68, in an NCAA women’s basketball regional semifinal Saturday afternoon at MVP Arena.

“We controlled the game from tip until final whistle,” Iowa’s Kate Martin said. “You saw a really composed, veteran team in us tonight.”

It was Iowa’s second straight Sweet 16 conquest of the Buffaloes. Last year in Seattle, it was 87-77.

Saturday, it was more one-sided.

Caitlin Clark played her best game of the postseason (29 points, 15 assists, just two turnovers), and all five starters reached double figures.

“It was a great team win,” Hannah Stuelke said. “We’re at our best when everybody is involved.

“Now, it’s on to the next.”

Another rematch. Call is a grudge rematch, if you will.

Iowa (32-4) faces No. 8 LSU (31-5) — a 78-69 victor Saturday over No. 6 UCLA — in the regional final at 6 p.m. (CT) Monday, and ESPN’s TV ratings will be stratospheric.

The winner advances to the Final Four next weekend at Cleveland. LSU topped Iowa, 102-85, in the NCAA final last season.

“We’re really excited,” Martin said. “Just to get to the Elite Eight ... we’re excited to game-plan for them, excited to play another game.”

If they play that one like they played this one, the Hawkeyes have a chance.

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“I thought we came out and hit the first punch, right off the bat,” Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said.

The Hawkeyes just kept jabbing, and ultimately knocked the Buffaloes (24-10) down for keeps.

“They were just better than us today,” Colorado Coach J.R. Payne said.

All five starters scored before the first media timeout, and the Hawkeyes led 15-7 after making seven of their first nine shots from the floor.

Colorado got within 17-14, but a Martin 3-pointer and a basket at the horn by Stuelke extended the lead back to eight.

It was 48-35 at halftime, and the Hawkeyes led by 27 points twice in the fourth quarter.

Sydney Affolter made all six of her floor shots in a 15-point gem. Gabbie Marshall and Martin scored 14 apiece, Stuelke 11 points and 10 rebounds.

“It’s hard to guard us when everybody is knocking down shots,” said Marshall, who did her part by hitting 4 of 5 from long distance. “It was just pretty basketball.”

Clark, of course, was the maestro.

“We held her to 29 points, which was two under her average,” Colorado’s Jaylyn Sherrod said. “But the hard piece is that she got everybody else involved.

“It speaks to the kind of player she is. She’s unselfish, and it’s just tough when everybody else for them is hitting, too.”

Clark said, “I knew they were going to give me really good ball pressure coming into this game, and honestly, when we set our first couple of ball screens, they were playing drop coverage.

“I knew either Hannah was going to be open on the roll or I was going to be able to get pretty easy lay-ups.”

Iowa’s 32 wins is a program record. The Hawkeyes went 31-7 last year.

Another piece of history: Iowa is making back-to-back Elite Eight trips for the second time since 1987-88.

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Caitlin Clark and happy Iowa team had a blast in Sweet 16 blasting of Colorado

Iowa 89, Colorado 68

NCAA Regional Semifinal, at Albany, N.Y.

COLORADO (68): Aaronette Vonleh 6-9 1-2 13, Quay Miller 2-8 0-0 5, Jaylyn Sherrod 4-9 1-4 9, Frida Formann 4-13 1-2 12, Maddie Nolan 4-11 1-2 12, Kindyll Wetta 2-5 2-4 7, Tameiya Sadler 3-8 0-0 6, Charlotte Whittaker 1-3 0-0 2, Sara-Rose Smith 0-3 0-0 0, Brianna McLeod 1-2 0-0 2, Sophie Gerber 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-72 6-14 68.

IOWA (89): Hannah Stuelke 3-9 5-7 11, Sydney Affolter 6-6 3-4 15, Kate Martin 5-11 2-2 14, Caitlin Clark 13-22 0-0 29, Gabbie Marshall 5-8 0-0 14, Addison O’Grady 1-3 0-0 2, Kylie Feuerbach 0-2 0-0 0, Taylor McCabe 0-1 0-0 0, A.J. Ediger 1-2 0-0 2, Jada Gyamfi 1-1 0-0 2, Sharon Goodman 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 35-65 10-13 89.

Colorado 14 21 12 21 — 68

Iowa 22 26 20 21 — 89

3-point goals: Colorado 8-29 (Miller 1-4, Sherrod 0-2, Formann 3-8, Nolan 3-9, Wetta 1-3, Sadler 0-1, Smith 0-1, Gerber 0-1), Iowa 9-22 (Martin 2-4, Clark 3-11, Marshall 4-5, Feuerbach 0-1, McCabe 0-1). Team fouls: Colorado 15, Iowa 12. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Colorado 34 (Vonleh, Miller, Nolan 5), Iowa 43 (Stuelke 10). Assists: Colorado 19 (Sherrod 10), Iowa 20 (Clark 15). Steals: Colorado 14 (Wetta 5), Iowa 7 (Feuerbach 2). Turnovers: Colorado 13, Iowa 19.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com