Hawkeyes outlast pesky Northwestern with third-quarter scoring outburst in Big Ten tournament quarterfinals

INDIANAPOLIS — Not much can keep the Iowa women’s basketball team from hosting March Madness games. Not even its peskiest opponent of 2022.

With the No. 12-ranked Hawkeyes likely needing just one more win to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, they got it with a 72-59 victory Friday over Northwestern in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.

Like in Iowa’s previous two matchups against the Wildcats, Northwestern kept the game close for much of Friday night.

The second-seeded Hawkeyes did not have their first lead until about midway through the second quarter, and they did not have a three-possession lead until the third quarter.

“We kind of were expecting to need a little bit of time to figure it all out,” center Megan Czinano said. “But once we get into the swing, boy is it fun.”

The Hawkeyes’ fun began in the third quarter. They outscored No. 7-seed Northwestern 25-16, while shooting 71 percent and holding Northwestern to 29-percent shooting.

“We knew shots were going to start going down,” guard Caitlin Clark said. “And it was really contributions from every single part of our team. ... That’s when we’re really good -- when everybody’s scoring and contributing like that just because we’re so hard to guard.”

After a scoreless first half, guard Kate Martin had a team-high nine points in the quarter on perfect 3-for-3 shooting. Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder called Martin a “difference-maker” in the win.

"People overlook Kate,“ Bluder said. ”She holds this team together.”

Martin finished with a season-high 15 points and six assists.

“But it was more than that,” Bluder said. “It was her levelheadedness on defense. She ran our offense and what we were trying to accomplish. She passed the ball.”

Iowa’s first-team all-Big Ten honorees once again led the Hawkeyes offensively Friday night.

Czinano had a highly efficient night on offense. She finished with 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting.

“She led the country in field-goal percentage shooting last year,” Bluder said, “and I don’t know how people forget that. … Nine-for-12, she probably thinks that’s a bad night.”

She also had eight rebounds.

Clark finished with 19 points on 7-for-16 shooting and 12 rebounds. No other Iowa player hit a 3-pointer until late in the third quarter.

It was the lowest-scoring output for the leading scorer in the country since she scored 18 against then-No. 5 Indiana on Feb. 19.

Veronica Burton, meanwhile, led the Wildcats with 25 points.

“Veronica Burton is one of the best players in the country,” Clark said. “I have a lot of respect for how she plays the game.”

The win was Iowa’s best performance against a team that has proved to be particularly challenging for the Hawkeyes. Northwestern completed a 77-69 upset over Iowa on Jan. 6 and took the Hawkeyes into overtime three weeks later.

The Hawkeyes will face the winner of Michigan and Nebraska in the semifinals Saturday at 5 p.m. (BTN).

“Who can recover tonight quickly? Who can get that rest and eat and mentally get ready?” Bluder said. “It becomes a mental game as well as a physical game as you go along in this tournament.”

If Michigan wins, it’ll be a rematch of the unofficial regular-season championship game Sunday where Iowa pulled off a definitive 104-80 win in front of a sellout crowd.

Bluder said Iowa “without a doubt” deserves to be a top-16 overall seed after the win over Northwestern.

“I know attendance isn't supposed to be a part of it, but how could you not — even if we were on the edge of that — give it to one of the most exciting places in college basketball?” Bluder said.

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