Monika Czinano, Caitlin Clark help Hawkeyes edge Hoosiers for Big Ten tournament title

INDIANAPOLIS — Kate Martin remembered what it’s like to see the confetti fall from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse rafters in 2019 and envisioned it again ahead of Sunday’s game.

“I’m really looking,” Martin started to say Saturday before trying to stop herself from taking a win for granted. “Going into that and manifesting seeing that confetti and enjoying those moments with my teammates.”

Martin doesn’t have to manifest it any longer. The No. 2-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes are Big Ten tournament champions after their 74-67 win over the No. 5-seeded Indiana Hoosiers Sunday.

It marks the first time Iowa women’s basketball has won the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles in the same year.

“This team has done a tremendous job of really enjoying last Sunday, but at the same time putting that behind us and coming into this Sunday and wanting to do it all over again,” guard Caitlin Clark said. “And with confetti this time. We didn’t have confetti at home. We had 15,000 fans, but we didn’t have confetti.”

The duo of Clark and center Monika Czinano fueled Iowa’s offense Sunday, combining to score 48 points.

Czinano had a team-high 30 points on 13-for-18 shooting and 10 rebounds.

“We didn’t shoot well from 3, so we had to go inside,” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said. “She's just an amazing player. She goes so hard all the time.”

Clark had 18 points on 6-for-17 shooting and was just 1-for-7 from deep. The sophomore guard also had seven rebounds and two assists, but four turnovers.

Czinano and Clark each earned spots on the Big Ten’s all-tournament team while Clark was named the tournament’s most outstanding player.

Martin, who has been the “glue” for the Hawkeyes this season, scored 14 points on 6-for-13 shooting and notched eight assists.

“She did so well in this tournament doing a number of different things for us,” Bluder said.

Iowa once again leaned heavily on its defense, holding the Hoosiers to 38-percent shooting from the field and 21 percent from 3.

Only four Indiana players scored in the first half, and the Hoosiers didn’t have a 3-pointer until the final minute of the first half.

Iowa has won six straight games, including four against top-15 opponents.

“You could say we’re hitting our stride at the right time,” Clark said.

The Hawkeyes will have a week off before learning their NCAA Tournament fate on March 13. It’ll be almost a two-week break before Iowa’s next game.

ESPN’s Charlie Creme projected Iowa to be a No. 3 seed — high enough to host the first two rounds — and in the Wichita regional in his latest bracket.

The last time Iowa hosted NCAA Tournament games, Carver-Hawkeye Arena broke the women’s basketball record for most fans attending the first two rounds. The combined attendance for the two rounds exceeded 23,000.

“I think we’re going to beat that this time,” Bluder said.

In the meantime, Iowa can enjoy the confetti a little longer and maybe manifest some NCAA Tournament success.

“Kate’s a huge manifester, which is awesome,” Czinano said. “We talk about what we want to do, and it’s worked so far, so why not keep doing it?”

If the future manifestation works, it’ll require more scissors and ladders.

“We want to cut down more nets,” Clark said. “Simple as that.”

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