Iowa women’s basketball fends off upset bid by Purdue in Big Ten tournament quarterfinals

MINNEAPOLIS — As Caitlin Clark took the floor Friday night at the Target Center, she did so in shoes known colloquially as “Grinches” for their bright-green hue.

“I like the Grinches,” Clark said. “They bring a little fire.”

The shoes — the full name is the Nike Kobe 6 Protro Grinch — were a poetic choice considering how Friday’s Big Ten quarterfinal game was going for the Hawkeyes.

The seventh-seeded Boilermakers at times looked like they could be the “Grinches” to second-seeded Iowa’s Big Ten tournament title aspirations.

But like in Whoville, the Hawkeyes had reason to be joyful at the end with a 69-58 win.

It was the Hawkeyes’ second-lowest-scoring game of the season and the lowest-scoring win of the season.

“Purdue came out and gave us a great battle,” Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said.

Iowa initially jumped to a comfortable 25-14 lead by early in the second quarter, but then its offense went cold. Purdue even captured a momentary 34-33 lead.

Iowa returned to typical Iowa form late in the game, though, shooting 69 percent in the fourth quarter to fend off the upset bid.

“We really responded in the second half,” Clark said. “We weren’t intimidated by the box-and-one (defense) at all. We got some easy buckets.”

Clark was responsible for 12 of Iowa’s 24 points in the fourth quarter.

Clark had a team-high 22 points despite shooting only 3-of-9 from 3-point range. Frustration was evident as Clark picked up a technical foul in the second quarter.

“Sometimes your emotions get you,” Clark said. “That’s what happens, but I think I responded pretty well.”

Center Monika Czinano had an efficient night playing in her home state, scoring 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting. Guard Gabbie Marshall was 3-of-5 from long range en route to scoring 11 points.

“Gabbie really stepped up and made some huge shots for us,” Clark said. “Got to give a lot of credit to her. And I thought Monika was really good inside too when she got touches.”

Bluder also lauded Marshall’s defensive contributions. She had two steals and three rebounds.

“Gabbie worked really, really hard on defense,” Bluder said. “She did a great job for us.”

The Target Center was certainly a friendly environment as many Hawkeye fans made the drive north to Minneapolis.

“It was amazing to go out there and see all the Hawkeye fans,” Bluder said. “We’re so thankful for that kind of support, and obviously we needed it today.”

Purdue Coach Katie Gearlds said Friday’s game was “obviously a road game for us.”

“You've got to be perfect to beat a top-10 team in basically a road game,” Gearlds said. “We were pretty solid, just not good enough.”

Iowa will play the winner of No. 3-seeded Maryland and No. 6-seeded Illinois at 4 p.m. Saturday (BTN). Both the Terrapins and Illini won in the regular season against the Hawkeyes.

A win Saturday would mark the third consecutive season in which Iowa reaches the Big Ten tournament championship.

A return of the Grinches for Saturday’s semifinal, meanwhile, seems unlikely.

“I also brought my Bruce Lee Kobes, which have been good vibes,” Clark said. “So I'll probably break those out tomorrow. ... Hopefully those will bring some good vibes for us too.”

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com