This time, it’s Gabbie Marshall’s turn to shine as Iowa beats Rutgers in Big Ten tournament

INDIANAPOLIS - Another day, another career-high.

One night, it's Monika Czinano. The next night, Gabbie Marshall.

Marshall matched career-highs with 22 points and six 3-pointers, and that was just in the first 17 minutes. Her early theatrics helped send Iowa past 19th-ranked Rutgers, 73-62, in a Big Ten women's basketball tournament quarterfinal Thursday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

'You always hope for a game like this,” Marshall said. 'I was a little off yesterday.”

A sophomore guard from Cincinnati, Marshall more than redeemed herself. She scored Iowa's first points on a trey, had 10 at the end of the first quarter, 22 by halftime and finished with 27.

She hit 10 of 15 shots, 7 of 11 from long distance.

'Man, she was feeling it today,” Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said. 'She had a lot of good looks. And when she gets good looks, she's money.”

Iowa (17-8) snapped Rutgers' nine-game win streak and advanced to the semifinal round Friday against Michigan State (15-7). Tipoff is 3:30 (Central time); the game is televised on FS2.

The Spartans pulled the first significant upset of the tournament, knocking off No. 9 Indiana, 69-61.

Iowa was the No. 6 tournament seed, Rutgers (14-4) the 3 seed. But after the teams traded early jabs, the Hawkeyes scored 10 straight points and played from ahead the rest of the way.

'I'm so proud of this group of women. I thought the team played so well together,” Bluder said.

Iowa led 18-9 after a quarter. Czinano - who scored a career-high 38 points in the Hawkeyes' second-round victory over Purdue on Wednesday - was called for her second foul with 4:43 left in the second quarter and Iowa leading 30-13.

Czinano sat for the rest of the half, but the Hawkeyes continued to hum.

Caitlin Clark was fouled on a 3-pointer, and made all three free throws for a 20-point lead. Marshall's sixth 3-pointer gave Iowa its largest margin, 39-18, with 3:30 before intermission.

Diamond Johnson scored five of her 15 first-half points as Rutgers closed within 39-25 at the break.

Czinano reached the 1,000-point career mark during a third-quarter flurry in which she scored three straight Iowa hoops.

Rutgers cut the deficit to single digits at 58-49 (on Arella Guirantes' 3-pointer with 1:15 left in the third quarter) then again at 69-61 (on Johnson's steal and score with 3:28 remaining in the game).

But Clark connected with Czinano for her 10th assist of the game with 2:05 left, and that was the dagger.

Clark recorded her eighth double-double of the season (21 points, 10 assists). Czinano tallied 20 points, and has made 26 of 33 floor shots this week.

Marshall got dinged in the head early in the third quarter, sat for about five minutes, then returned and drilled another 3-pointer shortly thereafter.

'I got a finger in the eye,” she said. 'It stung a little bit. We knew it was going to be physical. But I kind of like the challenge.”

McKenna Warnock scored a modest five points, but grabbed 12 rebounds. Kate Martin was scoreless, but compiled seven boards and six assists.

Johnson led the Scarlet Knights with 26 points, Guirantes tallied 20.

IOWA 73, RUTGERS 62

Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinal, at Indianapolis

IOWA (73): McKenna Warnock 2-5 0-0 5, Monika Czinano 10-15 0-4 20, Kate Martin 0-2 0-0 0, Caitlin Clark 7-15 5-5 21, Gabbie Marshall 10-15 0-0 27, Megan Meyer 0-1 0-0 0, Sharon Goodman 0-1 0-0 0, Tomi Taiwo 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-54 5-9 73.

RUTGERS (62): Mael Gilles 4-10 0-0 9, Tyia Singleton 2-5 0-0 4, Diamond Johnson 11-21 0-0 26, Arella Guirantes 8-20 3-6 20, Tekia Mack 1-8 1-4 3, Zipporah Broughton 0-2 0-0 0, Liz Martino 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-67 4-10 62.

Halftime: Iowa 39, Rutgers 25. 3-point goals: Iowa 10-24 (Warnock 1-4, Martin 0-1, Clark 2-7, Marshall 7-11, Meyer 0-1), Rutgers 6-24 (Gilles 1-4, Johnson 4-12, Guirantes 1-3, Mack 0-3, Broughton 0-1, Martino 0-1). Team fouls: Iowa 14, Rutgers 11. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Iowa 37 (Warnock 12), Rutgers 33 (Singleton 9). Assists: Iowa 20 (Clark 10), Rutgers 13 (Mack 5). Steals: Iowa 4 (Marshall 2), Rutgers 10 (Johnson 5). Turnovers: Iowa 16, Rutgers 12.

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