Iowa women's basketball vs. Penn State recap: Caitlin Clark breaks ...

9 Mar 2024

Hawk Central

Iowa womens basketball vs Penn State recap Caitlin Clark breaks

Iowa women's basketball and Caitlin Clark begin their postseason in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals vs. Penn State. See live game updates here.

No. 2 seed Iowa women's basketball, led by Caitlin Clark, opened its postseason up with a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal win against No. 7 seed Penn State.

The Hawkeyes are the second seed for the third straight year and and are looking to win back-to-back conference tournament titles.

Check below to re-live the game's updates, highlights, analysis and memorable moments:

GAME STORY: On a quiet Caitlin Clark night, Iowa still rolls past Penn State to open Big Ten Tournament

FINAL: Iowa 95, Penn State 62

Clark finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Sydney Affolter scored a career-high 18 points and Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall combined for 26 points.

It was a true team effort for the Hawkeyes tonight in a relatively easy win, despite some cold shooting stretches.

Q4/3:04 Iowa 89, Penn State 58 - Iowa set to move on to the semifinals

A hot spurt from deep has Iowa's lead at 31 points.

Head coach Lisa Bluder should be set to rest her starters for the rest of the way and save their legs for tomorrow's semifinal game.

Sydney Affolter sets new career high

With her third triple of the night, Affolter reached 16 points for the first time in her career.

She's been terrific in place of the injured Molly Davis.

Q4/6:58 Iowa 72, Penn State 49 - Iowa in firm control

With a 7-1 run to start the fourth quarter, Iowa appears set to cruise to victory.

Gabbie Marshall, continuing her tradition of big-time performances in March, has been stellar today. She has 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting.

Caitlin Clark breaks single-season 3-pointers made record

After missing her first 11 3-point attempts, Clark's 12th shot finally goes in.

The breakthrough shot broke a tie with Stephen Curry for the most made 3-pointers in a single NCAA basketball season (163).

End 3: Iowa 65, Penn State 48 - No Clark, no problem

Clark sat on the bench for the final couple of minutes, yet Iowa looked just find and maintained its big lead.

Penn State has struggled shooting from deep (5-for-23), and almost every team won't be able to keep pace with Iowa's offense without being proficient from behind the arc.

The Lady Lions have primarily been a two-player show this evening, led by a combined 30 points from Ashley Owusu (16 points) and Leilani Kapinus (14 points).

Q3/2:30 Iowa 60, Penn State 44 - McCabe from downtown!

Taylor McCabe came off the bench and provided a big spark to Iowa's offense, swishing back-to-back triples from the left corner to balloon her team's lead to 19 points.

Iowa is just 8-for-26 from behind the arc, but the team is 20-of-23 from the free throw line. That prolific mark has kept the Hawkeyes afloat despite their inconsistent play.

Q3/5:15 Iowa 54, Penn State 41 - Clark can't buy a 3

Clark is now 0-for-8 from behind the arc and is on her way to one of her worst performances of the season.

Yet she still has 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists, doing well to draw defensive attention and set up Iowa's offense.

But the Hawkeyes are losing the frame 15-8 thus far, largely because of PSU's increased efficiency on jump shots while Iowa has once again lost its rhythm.

End 2: Iowa 46, Penn State 26 - Iowa finds its mojo

Iowa regained its footing and finished the first half on a 13-2 run, but head coach Lisa Bluder surely wasn't happy with that six-minute lull in the second quarter.

The best aspect of Iowa's performance was its offensive balance, which saw six players score five or more points.

It's also a great sign to have a double-digit lead with Clark shooting just 1-for-8 from the field.

Q2/4:14 Iowa 33, Penn State 23 - Lions gaining confidence

Penn State is winning the frame 10-2, with Iowa's only points coming on a recent Clark midrange bucket.

The Hawkeyes have fumbled passes, bricked shots and been out-hustled through this quarter's first few minutes, a complete flip from the opening quarter.

Q2/6:00 Iowa 31, Penn State 19 - Iowa goes cold

Iowa has come out somewhat lackadaisical and sloppy in the second quarter, allowing Penn State to start the frame on a 6-0 run while the Hawkeyes shot 0-for-5.

Still, the Lady Lions missed some prime opportunities to trim their deficit even further.

Clark still hasn't made a field goal on five shot attempts. With her team building a big early lead, she's appeared less aggressive than usual.

End 1: Iowa 31, Penn State 13 - Iowa dominating the free throw line

Despite Clark scoring just four points, Iowa's offense dominated from start to finish.

Aside from the team's four triples, the Hawkeyes made 13-of-16 free throws while PSU shot zero.

All seven Hawkeyes who got minutes scored. Sydney Affolter led the way with eight points.

Q1/3:49 Iowa 21, Penn State 7- Iowa red hot from deep

Iowa has come out firing from long range, hitting four of its first six 3-point attempts.

Ironically, Clark appears to be cold to start and has missed both attempts.

Q1/6:33 Iowa 10, Penn State 0 - Hannah Stuelke still the PSU killer

After scoring 47 points against PSU last time, Hannah Stuelke was surely right below Clark on the Lady Lions' scouting report.

So far, she's made her presence felt with four points, two from the free throw line and another on a layup to cause a Penn State timeout.

Q1/6:54 Iowa 8, Penn State 0 - Kate Martin came to play

Kate Martin got Iowa's offense going quickly with a 3-pointer from the wing on the Hawkeyes' first possession.

On the next possession, Martin grabbed an offensive rebound and found Sydney Affolter, who's starting in place on the injured Molly Davis, for a triple.

Iowa's speed and ball movement have overwhelmed PSU early.

How to watch Caitlin Clark, Iowa women's basketball vs. Penn State Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals

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Is Molly Davis playing today for Iowa women's basketball?

No. Molly Davis sustained an injury during Iowa women's basketball's final game of the regular season and has been ruled OUT for the Big Ten Tournament.

She and the Hawkeyes are hopeful that she can return sometime later this postseason.

More: Iowa women's basketball guard Molly Davis hopes for postseason return after right knee injury