Caitlin Clark scores 32, but Iowa comes up short at No. 10 Indiana

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Inconsistency on defense and rebounding were among Iowa's pitfalls in an 89-80 loss to No. 10 Indiana on Wednesday at Assembly Hall.

The Hawkeyes (14-8, 10-8 Big Ten), who led the Hoosiers (17-4, 15-2) at halftime, 48-43, after a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Caitlin Clark, saw their chances dwindle following the loss of their star freshman to foul trouble late in the fourth.

Clark amassed 32 points and five assists before exiting the game with her 10th 30-point game of the season. Monika Czinano was the second leading scorer with 20 points, leading the team with six rebounds.

Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder emphasized both rebounding and consistency on defense as being the key elements to late-season success. But the defense collapsed following six unanswered points off offensive rebounds by Indiana's Mackenzie Holmes, which was only the beginning for an offense that continued to capitalize on second chances.

'I think we just needed to have a more aggressive mindset when it came to making contact on box-outs,” Czinano said. 'Forcing a certain player a certain way and just locking down every aspect, we needed to rev up a little bit.”

The Hawkeyes surrendered 17 offensive rebounds, leading to 21 second-chance points.

Indiana's Holmes, Ali Patberg and Grace Berger each tallied 22 points. Holmes added 11 rebounds for a double-double.

'It is hard to win games, even when you shoot as well as we shot from all three areas,” Bluder said. 'When you give them 17 extra shots on the boards and 11 less free throws, it is hard to win on the road with those types of numbers anywhere.”