MINNEAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark overcame a cold start to score 30 of her 34 points after halftime and No. 3 Iowa State defeated Nebraska 94-89 in overtime on Sunday in the Big Ten Tournament. He contributed to three consecutive victories.
Hannah Stuelke had 25 points and nine rebounds for the Hawkeyes (29-4), but they trailed by 13 points late in the first half as superstar Clark missed all nine 3-pointers.
The NCAA's all-time leading scorer made 5-of-17 from deep, had 12 assists, and hit a dagger 3-pointer with 51 seconds left in OT, making it 89 just 16 seconds after Logan Nissley's 3-pointer. They led by 87 vs. Cornhuskers in front of me.
Alexis Murkowski had 23 points and 13 rebounds to lead Nebraska (22-11) with a courageous performance, but it fell short of its second win over Iowa this season. On February 11, the Huskers defeated the Hawkeyes 82-79.
Natalie Potts had 21 points and nine rebounds for the Huskers, who led 75-67 with two and a half minutes left in regulation, before Clark sank one of her signature step-back 3-pointers. Her layup in traffic tied the game with 29 seconds left.
Nebraska made the final shot, but Nissly's baseline jumper didn't reach the regulation buzzer. Clark waved his arms at the packed, mostly Iowa crowd and yelled, “Come on! Five minutes left!”
The Huskers played their fourth game in four days, defeating Purdue, Michigan State and Maryland to advance to the conference finals for the first time in 10 years. Despite an 11 a.m. tipoff at Central and some downtime due to the daylight saving time change, they didn't lack energy.
These regional rivals — one fan clutched a nifty sign that read, “Iowa's corn tastes better!” — From the soon-to-be-expanded west end of the conference, it was a wild and intense game worthy of a heated football field. His body was frequently slammed against the floor, and there was intense movement for position around the basket.
Murkowski and Potts, who were named Big Ten Newcomers of the Year a day earlier, played fearlessly inside after Iowa built a 54-16 scoring advantage in the paint over Michigan. Clark mostly found her usual playable look in the hoop, but the long ball was not her friend. However, the Hawkeyes responded to the Huskers' offense at every turn, putting the ball in the basket as much as possible and staying within striking distance by locking down their defense.
Clark hit a step-back jumper from the foul line to quickly give Nebraska a 46-35 halftime lead. Her first deep shot finally fell as it flowed just after the break, swinging off a pull-up from the wing to bring Iowa within six points (48-42), and on her way back, she gave her a slight smile. raised his fist.
The secret to success was rounding the high screen. Clark gave the Hawkeyes their first lead since 5-4, converting it off a pass from Kate Martin and making a smooth layup to make it 53-52.
