Turnovers ground Hawkeyes in 28-point loss to Maryland

The Carver-Hawkeye Arena facility staff will not need to bring out the ladder or scissors for any net-cutting on Sunday.

Iowa needed a win Tuesday night to keep its Big Ten regular-season title hopes alive. Instead, the sixth-ranked Hawkeyes (22-6, 14-3) suffered an embarrassing 96-68 loss to No. 7 Maryland (23-5, 14-3).

Turnovers were especially problematic for the Hawkeyes.

Iowa coughed up the ball 24 times — an occurrence on a staggering 32 percent of possessions — while only making 23 field goals.

"We were a little sloppy, but I think it was because of Maryland's great defense,” Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said after the game.

The Terrapins took advantage, scoring 24 points off turnovers in the 28-point game.

Maryland’s hot shooting, especially in the second quarter, exacerbated Iowa’s shortcomings.

The Hawkeyes entered Tuesday’s contest allowing opponents to hit 27 percent of 3-point shots, but Maryland shot 54 percent from long range.

Maryland had a 27-8 scoring advantage in the second quarter despite star guard Diamond Miller only playing 33 seconds, partly because of foul trouble.

“The second quarter is what really defined this game,” Bluder said.

Iowa’s defensive rebounding was also woeful early — Maryland attempted its sixth shot before Iowa attempted its first shot — but the Hawkeyes closed the rebounding margin in the second half while the game was out of reach.

Iowa guards Gabbie Marshall and Sydney Affolter were bright spots on an otherwise-gloomy evening, scoring 15 and 14 points, respectively.

Star guard Caitlin Clark led the Hawkeyes with 18 points, albeit at an inefficient 5-for-13 clip.

The 28-point margin was Iowa’s largest deficit of 2022-23. The Hawkeyes’ next-worst loss was the 94-81 loss to North Carolina State on Dec. 1.

The lack of opportunity to win a Big Ten regular-season championship takes away from some of the allure of Sunday’s game against No. 2 Indiana.

However, Sunday’s game against the Hoosiers — a sellout with ESPN’s College GameDay show in attendance — could still have postseason implications.

Sunday’s Iowa-Indiana game, along with Friday’s Maryland-Ohio State game, will determine whether Iowa is the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the Big Ten tournament.

It also will be another opportunity for Iowa to pick up a quality win for its NCAA Tournament resume.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com