The score sums it up: Iowa 105, Minnesota 49

MINNEAPOLIS — Back home, you see the phrase on hoodies, bumper stickers, maybe a billboard or two.

“Hawks By A Million.”

It sure felt like that here Thursday night.

No. 25 Iowa rode a near-perfect storm and crunched Minnesota, 105-49 — the Hawkeyes’ most lopsided margin ever in a Big Ten women’s basketball game — in front of a crowd of 3,741 at Williams Arena.

“Sometimes you have those special nights, and this was one of them,” Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said.

“I’m still trying to take it all in. That was some really pretty basketball, and I like pretty basketball.”

The Hawkeyes (11-4 overall, 5-1 Big Ten) led from opening tip to final horn and stretched their win streak to four games, and beat Minnesota (9-10, 2-5) for the sixth straight time.

Iowa outscored the Gophers 58-15 in a second-half avalanche. The result was Minnesota’s worst loss of the NCAA era, which began in the 1981-82 season.

The Hawkeyes exploded for 37 points in the third quarter and held the Gophers to three points in the fourth.

Caitlin Clark posted another eye-popping stat line — 35 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists. She is the only women’s college player to amass back-to-back triple-doubles with 30-plus points in the 2000s millennium.

“When you start playing good competition, it beings out the best in a competitor,” said Clark, who showed signs of reversing her 3-point shooting fortunes with a 4-of-6 showing.

The win was particularly rewarding for Monika Czinano, who grew up a half-hour from here but wasn’t recruited by Minnesota. Czinano celebrated her 22nd birthday with 23 points and seven rebounds.

“Obviously, this was a lot of fun,” said Czinano, who beamed throughout the postgame presser. “Every time I come here, it’s special. I had a great day.”

Gabbie Marshall made 6 of 7 shots from the floor in a season-high 16-point outing.

Iowa scored 11 straight points early in the first quarter to build a 13-2 lead, and maintained a double-digit lead for most of the first half.

Clark had 21 first-half points as the Hawkeyes took a 47-34 advantage into the locker room.

The second half, it seemed the Hawkeyes were playing five-on-two. They outran the Gophers in transition, and they picked them apart in the half-court game.

Iowa had a 21-2 surge in the third quarter and sandwiched a 20-0 run around the third-quarter break.

“The third quarter, everybody did a great job running,” Czinano said. “We just never stopped running.”

The Hawkeyes’ scheduled game at home against Indiana on Sunday was postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the Hoosiers’ program. Instead, Iowa will host Illinois at 5 p.m. Sunday.

Iowa 105, Minnesota 49

At Minneapolis

IOWA (105): McKenna Warnock 4-7 1-2 9, Monika Czinano 7-12 9-10 23, Kate Martin 1-4 0-0 2, Caitlin Clark 14-21 3-4 35, Gabbie Marshall 6-7 1-1 16, Kylie Feuerbach 1-3 3-4 5, Tomi Taiwo 2-6 0-0 5, Addison O'Grady 4-6 0-0 8, Sydney Affolter 0-1 0-0 0, A.J. Ediger 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 40-68 16-19 105.

MINNESOTA (49):

Kadiatou Sissoko 4-13 0-0 8, Alanna Micheaux 3-4 0-0 6, Deja Winters 3-10 0-0 7, Jasmine Powell 0-5 0-0 0, Sara Scalia 6-15 1-2 15, Gadiva Hubbard 1-4 1-2 3, Bailey Helgren 0-0 0-0 0, Alexia Smith 3-10 1-2 8, Laura Bagwell Katalinich 1-2 0-0 2, Kayla Mershon 0-0 0-2 0, Klarke Sconiers 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-63 3-8 49.

Iowa 20 27 37 21 — 105

Minnesota 13 21 12 3 — 49

3-point goals: Iowa 9-17 (Warnock 1-2, Clark 4-6, Marshall 3-4, Feuerbach 0-1, Taiwo 1-3, Affloter 0-1), Minnesota 4-19 (Sissoko 0-1, Winters 1-5, Powell 0-3, Scalia 2-5, Hubbard 0-2, Smith 1-3). Team fouls: Iowa 13, Minnesota 14. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Iowa 51 (Clark 13), Minnesota 23 (Micheaux 4). Assists: Iowa 23 (Clark 11), Minnesota 10 (Hubbard 3). Steals: Iowa 10 (Marshall 4), Minnesota 5 (Hubbard 3). Turnovers: Iowa 9, Minnesota 11.

Attendance: 3,741.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com