No. 14 Indiana dishes 86-69 defeat to No. 4 Iowa women’s basketball team

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Caitlin Clark never got on a second-half heater, and Indiana served up a cold dish of revenge to the Iowa women’s basketball team Thursday night.

On a night of physical basketball with staredowns, cross words and other competitive reactions, the No 14 Hoosiers avenged their 86-57 loss at Iowa Jan. 13 with an 86-69 scalding of No. 4 Iowa Thursday night.

A sellout crowd of 17,222 made its presence felt in Assembly Hall 90 minutes before the game and lingered well after the final horn at Assembly Hall to enjoy the conquest.

The loss dropped No. 4 Iowa to 12-3 in the Big Ten and 23-4 overall, and evened its two-game season series with Indiana. The Hoosiers improved to 13-3, 22-4.

The loss makes the Hawkeyes’ chances of getting a share of the Big Ten regular-season title slim at best even if they win their final three games, including the season finale at home against Ohio State. The second-ranked Buckeyes, 14-1 in league play, are unlikely to lose one of their other two remaining games, at home against Maryland and Michigan next week.

Pockets of Indiana fans chanted “Overrated!” at Iowa star senior guard Clark late in the game, an absurd notion. However, those fans do get to say their team got the better of the reigning national Player of the Year and her club for a night, and without a trace of gray area.

  Buy Photo

Clark had a 20-point first half, but scored just four more after that. She was an icy 3-of-16 from 3-point range in the game and 8-of-26 overall. She was an assist from a triple-double, but a hollow one it would have been.

The Hoosiers got plenty of what they wanted offensively with a strong inside/outside game led by seniors Sara Scalia (25 points) and Mackenzie Holmes (24 points, nine rebounds), while the Hawkeyes labored for baskets.

“Credit to Caitlin Clark, she’s a phenomenal player,” said Holmes, Indiana’s all-time leading scorer. “We knew she was going to get hers, she was going to get 25, 30, 40 points. We had a goal in mind to, one, make it an inefficient 30, 40 points and, two, keep others out of it.”

Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder saw that as something her team needs to work out.

“Gabbie Marshall was 1-of-2 from 3,” Bluder said. “I’d take (50 percent) any day, but she’s got to get more than two shots.

“We need to get her the ball more. … We have to have other people shoot the ball, you know?”

Iowa totaled five made 3-pointers in 28 tries. Clark was almost their sole source of offense in the first half, which ended with Iowa down 44-33 after a first period that had six lead changes and five ties. She was 2-of-13 from the field in the second half.

The Hoosiers went to a box-and-one defense in the game to put more of a defensive presence on Clark, and only Kate Martin (19 points) picked up much of the slack for the Hawkeyes.

  Buy Photo

Indiana outshot Iowa, 51.6 percent to 38.8, and out-rebounded the Hawkeyes, 42-33. One team played superior defense, and it wasn’t the nation’s No. 4 squad.

“I think it starts at the defensive end for us,” said Clark. “Be physical, get in the passing lanes. Things like that.

“I think it’s something we’re obviously capable of, something we’ve done really all season long.

“There’s nothing for us to really hang our head about. It’s just go back and learn and move on. We can’t sulk about one loss. That’s not how this works.”

Iowa’s next game is at home against Illinois (7-8, 13-12) Sunday at noon. The Illini beat Indiana in their most-recent game, 86-66 Monday in Champaign.

Comments: (319) 398-8440; mike.hlas@thegazette.com