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No. 3 UConn overcomes 11-point deficit, escapes No. 9 Iowa 86-79
13-0 run in the fourth quarter clips the game in Huskies’ favor
Nov. 27, 2022 2:09 pm, Updated: Nov. 27, 2022 2:45 pm
It was a lot of fun for a lot of the game. But as it often does, Connecticut had the final word.
The third-ranked Huskies overcame an 11-point third-quarter deficit and escaped No. 9 Iowa, 86-79, in the championship game of the Phil Knight Legacy women’s basketball tournament Sunday morning at Moda Center in Portland, Ore.
Azzi Fudd scored 22 of her team-high 24 points in the second half, and UConn (5-0) flipped the game for good with a 13-0 run midway through the fourth quarter.
UConn won this one on the boards, outrebounding the Hawkeyes (5-2) by a 44-28 margin.
Caitlin Clark accumulated 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists for Iowa, but shot 9-of-24 from the floor, including 2-of-11 from long distance.
Kate Martin played the game of her life, hitting for 20 points. Her 3-pointer at the 6:30 mark of the third quarter gave Iowa its largest lead, 52-41.
It didn’t stick.
Connecticut scored 11 straight points in less than 3 minutes to tie the game, and had a 61-57 advantage by the end of the third quarter.
Iowa opened the fourth quarter with nine points in a row -- capped by another Martin trey -- for a 66-61 lead, and still held a 70-66 lead on Gabbie Marshall’s steal and layup with 6:05 to play.
But the rest of the game belonged to the Huskies. Caroline Ducharme had a pair of 3-pointers in the decisive 13-0 run that put UConn in front for good, 79-70.
Iowa got no closer than five points again.
McKenna Warnock scored 14 points, Marshall 10. Monika Czinano was held to eight points on 3-of-7 shooting.
Fudd led a UConn attack that pushed five players into double figures. Aaliyah Edwards added 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.
Down 20-14 after a quarter, Iowa ruled the second frame. The Hawkeyes outscored UConn by a 27-15 margin and took a 41-35 lead into the locker room.
Iowa returns home for a date with No. 13 North Carolina State as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Thursday. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m.
Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com
UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards, left, shoots over Iowa guard Kate Martin during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Phil Knight Legacy Championship in Portland, Ore., Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)
