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No. 4 Hawkeyes red-hot from the floor, lasso Bowling Green, 99-65
Celebrities are in the Carver crowd as Iowa amasses a whopping 72 points in the paint
Dec. 2, 2023 3:43 pm, Updated: Dec. 2, 2023 5:36 pm
IOWA CITY — Lisa Bluder apologized for her tardiness at the postgame press conference.
“I just had Jason (Sudeikis) sign my ‘Believe’ poster,” she said.
Sudeikis, also known as Ted Lasso, was courtside at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday afternoon. So was women’s basketball legend Sue Bird.
It was almost as if this was The Forum in the 1980s. Fitting for a program whose pregame theme is “Welcome to the Show.”
Sudeikis and Bird stayed throughout, and No. 4 Iowa shot 66.7 percent from the floor in a 99-65 disassembly of Bowling Green.
“We shot a high percentage. Our offense isn’t run to take bad shots,” Kate Martin said.
The Hawkeyes (8-1) had five players in double figures, scored a staggering 72 paint points and recorded 29 assists.
Welcome to the Show, Sue. You too, Lasso.
“We made a lot of (extra) passes, and Coach emphasizes that 2-foot finish,” said Sydney Affolter, who made all seven of her shots from the floor, and whose 14 points matched a career-high.
Iowa rocketed to a 21-5 lead through the first 5 1/2 minutes, matched the Falcons (5-2) basket for basket through the next 20 minutes, then bolted away again.
Caitlin Clark scored 24 points (she needs 22 to become the 15th player in NCAA history to reach 3,000 for a career) and registered 11 assists.
“They played a diamond-and-one against Caitlin, but we have others that are going to score on this team,” Bluder said. “We can attack in different ways.”
And Saturday, the chief way was in the lane. Iowa was 36 of 46 (78.3 percent) inside the 3-point arc.
Martin (7 of 9 from the field) scored 17 points. She also blocked three shots, one of which she punctuated with a primal scream.
“That feels really good,” Martin said of the block. You’re working hard on defense ... it’s like getting a kill in volleyball. It feels so good to smash the ball.“
Sharon Goodman added 12 points, Addison O’Grady 10.
Affolter was asked if she was a Ted Lasso fan.
“Oh, gosh, it’s one of my favorite shows,” she said. “We’re lucky to have people that recognize us.”
Bluder said, “I’ve been able to build a career out of a game, something I love. People respect what we do, and we’re here to share it.”
The Hawkeyes were without Hannah Stuelke for the third game. The hope remains to have her back Wednesday at Iowa State.
Tipoff is 6 p.m.; Iowa can wrap up an undisputed mythical state championship with a win.
Iowa 99, Bowling Green 65
At Iowa City
BOWLING GREEN (65): Olivia Hill 1-3 0-0 3, Erika Porter 0-1 2-2 2, Amy Velasco 5-14 0-0 11, Paige Kohler 2-10 2-2 7, Lexi Fleming 8-22 4-4 24, Sophie Dziekan 4-6 1-2 9, Morgan Sharps 4-13 0-0 9, Taya Ellis 0-0 0-0 0, Keiryn McGuff 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-70 9-10 65.
IOWA (99): Sharon Goodman 5-8 2-2 12, Molly Davis 2-3 0-0 5, Kate Martin 7-9 3-4 17, Caitlin Clark 10-20 2-3 24, Gabbie Marshall 2-4 0-0 6, Sydney Affolter 7-7 0-1 14, Kylie Feuerbach 0-0 0-0 0, Addison O’Grady 4-5 2-4 10, Taylor McCabe 0-1 0-0 0, Jada Gyamfi 3-3 0-0 7, Kennise Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, A.J. Ediger 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 42-63 9-14 99.
Bowling Green 16 16 15 18 — 65
Iowa 29 19 24 27 — 99
3-point goals: Bowling Green 8-31 (Hill 1-2, Velasco 1-4, Kohler 1-4, Fleming 4-14, Sharps 1-7), Iowa 6-17 (Davis 1-1, Clark 2-11, Marshall 2-3, Gyamfi 1-1). Team fouls: Bowling Green 15, Iowa 11. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Bowling Green 27 (Fleming 7), Iowa 44 (Goodman 11). Assists: Bowling Green 9 (Velasco 6), Iowa 29 (Clark 11). Steals: Bowling Green 7 (Fleming 3), Iowa 4 (Affolter 3). Turnovers: Bowling Green 13, Iowa 14.
Attendance: 14,998.
Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com
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