Iowa women’s basketball shines from the line in a season-opening rout

IOWA CITY — New England is New England.

New Hampshire is not Connecticut.

But the opponent, Lisa Bluder reminded, is irrelevant at the free-throw line.

“When you’re shooting free throws, it doesn’t matter who you’re playing,” she said.

The ninth-ranked Hawkeyes converted 27 of 28 shots from the line in a 93-50 women’s basketball rout of New Hampshire in front of a crowd of 6,789 Tuesday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

“They’re free points. You’ve got to make them,” said sophomore All-America guard Caitlin Clark, who made all 11 of her foul shots in a 26-point, eight-rebound, six-assist performance. “It’s not surprising. We shoot free throws every day, we track it, and we usually make 90 percent.”

They topped that Tuesday at 96.4 percent.

The Hawkeyes (1-0) improved to 22-0 all-time in season openers under Bluder, who moved within four victories of her 800th career win.

Clark had 17 points by halftime, and Iowa led from start to finish.

Likely to hit the 1,000-point career mark before November is out, Clark hit Iowa’s first basket of the season from the left baseline, and the Hawkeyes were never threatened.

An 8-0 run before the first media timeout stretched the advantage to 13-4.

Clark went to the bench with her second foul (a pushoff) late in the first quarter. Gabbie Marshall’s right-baseline 3-pointer at the horn made it 31-11 after a quarter.

Bluder usually sits two-foul offenders for the remainder of the first half, but Clark was back in the game at the 8:01 mark of the second quarter with the Hawkeyes in front 33-18.

It was 48-23 at halftime.

“When we had a comfortable lead, it wasn’t important to play by that rule,” Bluder said. “I knew she’d be sitting later in the game.”

UNH (0-1) scored the first seven points of the second half, then the Hawkeyes answered with a 21-4 run through the remainder of the third quarter to reassert themselves.

Monika Czinano added 14 points for the Hawkeyes, McKenna Warnock 12, Tomi Taiwo 10.

The Hawkeyes haven’t made a secret of a new commitment to defense after allowing more than 80 points per game last season. The 50 allowed to the Wildcats was a promising start, but only a start.

“I’m proud of how we came out and focused on defense,” Warnock said. “It’s something we’ve focused on for months.”

Iowa held UNH to 30-percent shooting and forced 21 turnovers.

As for the Hawkeyes’ rookies:

Kylie Feuerbach, a sophomore and an Iowa State transfer, scored five points in 26 minutes, and matched Clark and Kate Martin for the team lead with six assists.

Addison O’Grady, who scored 19 points in the Hawkeyes’ exhibition game last Thursday, tallied eight points in 11 minutes.

Sydney Affolter was scoreless in 15 minutes; A.J. Ediger played three minutes late and made two free throws.

Earlier Tuesday, Clark and Czinano were named to the preseason Naismith Award, Wade Trophy and John R. Wooden Award watch lists.

The Hawkeyes host Samford at 6:30 Thursday night, then travel to Northern Iowa on Sunday.

IOWA 93, NEW HAMPSHIRE 50

At Iowa City

NEW HAMPSHIRE (50): Ivy Gogolin 3-3 0-1 6, Helena Delaruelle 1-5 0-0 2, Belle Stuart 0-5 0-0 0, Amanda Torres 5-12 3-4 13, Sophia Widmeyer 4-12 2-4 13, Adara Groman 1-8 1-2 4, Paige Cote 1-3 0-2 2, Brooke Kane 2-6 0-0 5, Kenzie Matulonis 0-4 0-0 0, Talia Davis 2-5 0-1 5, Ella Fiore 0-1 0-0 0, Kali Grimm 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-64 6-14 50.

IOWA (93): McKenna Warnock 3-7 6-7 12, Monika Czinano 7-10 0-0 14, Kate Martin 3-5 0-0 6, Caitlin Clark 6-10 11-11 26, Gabbie Marshall 2-5 2-2 8, Tomi Taiwo 3-5 2-2 10, Logan Cook 0-1 2-2 2, Kylie Feuerbach 2-5 0-0 5, Sydney Affolter 0-2 0-0 0, Addison O’Grady 3-5 2-2 8, A.J. Ediger 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 29-56 27-28 93.

Halftime: Iowa 48, New Hampshire 23. 3-point goals: New Hampshire 6-24 (Delaruelle 0-2, Stuart 0-3, Torres 0-1, Widmeyer 83-4, Groman 1-5, Kane 1-4, Matulonis 0-3, Davis 1-1, Fiore 0-1), Iowa 8-22 (Warnock 0-3, Martin 0-2, Clark 3-7, Marshall 2-5, Taiwo 2-2, Feuerbach 1-2, Affolter 0-1). Team fouls: New Hampshire 26, Iowa 15. Fouled out: Cote. Rebounds: New Hampshire 29 (Delaruelle 6), Iowa 47 (Clark 8). Assists: New Hampshire 8 (Torres 5), Iowa 21 (Martin, Clark, Feuerbach 6). Steals: New Hampshire 8 (Widmeyer, Cote 2), Iowa 8 (Martin, Clark 2). Turnovers: New Hampshire 21, Iowa 19.

Attendance: 6,789.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com