116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Iowa vs. Colorado NCAA women’s basketball Sweet 16 box score, highlights, live updates recap
SEATTLE — Colorado had the “Great Dane.”
Iowa had the greater team, though.
An Elite team.
Caitlin Clark spearheaded a telling 13-0 third-quarter run, propelling the third-ranked Hawkeyes to an 87-77 NCAA women’s basketball regional-semifinal win over No. 21 Colorado on Friday at Climate Pledge Arena.
Clark finished with 31 points and eight assists, and the Hawkeyes (29-6) advance to the Elite Eight for the fifth time in school history, the first since 2019.
They’ll face Louisville or Mississippi at 8 p.m. (CT) Sunday. The winner advances to the Final Four next week at Dallas.
Iowa won despite surrendering 21 offensive rebounds.
The Buffaloes (25-9) rallied from an early 10-point deficit for a 40-39 halftime lead, and were in front for the final time, 42-41, when Frida Formann — a native of Denmark — scored at the 9:14 mark of the third quarter.
That gave Formann 21 points. She didn’t score the rest of the way, and fouled out with 6:37 left.
Iowa’s big run started with baskets by Kate Martin, Clark and McKenna Warnock, putting the Hawkeyes in front, 47-42, and forcing a Colorado timeout.
They weren’t done.
Clark located Czinano for a basket, but Czinano was whistled for her third foul moments later.
No matter.
Clark nailed a 3-pointer, then followed with a steal and layup. It was 54-42 with 5:02 left in the third quarter and CU Coach JR Payne used her second timeout in 2 minutes.
The Hawkeyes led by as many as 15 points late in the third quarter, but Colorado had one final push, getting within 78-74 on Jaylyn Sherrod’s steal and score with 1:49 left.
But Czinano scored on a hook shot to make it 80-74, then the Hawkeyes got a stop to salt it away.
Martin hit five straight foul shots, and that was checkmate. Martin finished with 16 points. Czinano added 15, Warnock 12.
— Jeff Linder
Iowa vs. Colorado live updates recap
Colorado Buffaloes guard Kindyll Wetta (15) guards as Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) dribbles the ball past her in the fourth quarter during the Sweet 16 round at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington on Friday, March 24, 2023. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)