Recap: Caitlin Clark, Iowa women's basketball dominate vs. Illinois

Caitlin Clark and No. 4 Iowa women's basketball returned to Carver-Hawkeye Arena and easily beat Illinois.

The Hawkeyes (24-4, 13-3 Big Ten) needed such a performance after a disappointing road loss at Indiana in their previous game. While it was a team effort this afternoon, Clark notched the 16th triple-double of her career (24 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists).

Check below re-live the game's updates, top highlights and analysis:

Game story: No. 4 Iowa women's basketball gets back on track with win over Illinois

FINAL: Iowa 101, Illinois 85

Iowa looked the part of a top-5 team today, hitting 17 triples and tallying 28 assists while never truly being threatened by Illinois.

The Hawkeyes hope the stellar performances by Molly Davis (17 points), Hannah Stuelke (20 points), Kate Martin (13 points, six rebounds, four assists) and the bench (22 points) will carry over through the end of the regular season and into tournament time.

Q4/2:55 Iowa 95, Illinois 81

With the game all but wrapped up for Iowa, Caitlin Clark exited with 24 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.

Gabbie Marshall also exited soon after when she seemingly hurt her ankle when driving to the basket.

Q4/6:27 Iowa 90, Illinois 70

Clark (19 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists) just notched her fifth triple-double of the season and 16th of her career. Her 10th assist came in flashy fashion on a wrap-around pass to Hannah Stuelke for a wide-open layup.

Stuelke has been stellar all afternoon and has 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting.

Only one of the 10 Hawkeyes who've played today hasn't scored. The ball movement, energy, confidence and focus collectively has been elite and a major improvement from last game.

End 3: Iowa 74, Illinois 61

Illinois actually won that quarter 27-24. As good as Iowa's offense has been today, its defense has been inconsistent. Makira Cook has been particularly lethal and has 24 points.

Still, the Hawkeyes remain firmly in control and should win this game. Clark is just three assists away from a triple-double and four starters have 10 or more points.

The bench has been helpful as well with 19 points.

Q3/3:29 Iowa 65, Illinois 52

Clark has notched another double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds).

She needs just four more assists for a triple-double.

After a hot start to the quarter from both teams, the offenses have stalled over the final couple of minutes.

Q3/4:44 Iowa 63, Illinois 52

Clark seemingly regained her shooting stroke during the halftime break. She came out firing in the third quarter and made back-to-back triples. She's now up to 15 points.

Kylie Feuerbach also continues to be key off the bench and now has a career-high three made triples.

Still, Illinois continues to hang around, making this a closer game scoring-wise than it's felt all afternoon.

End 2: Iowa 50, Illinois 34

Iowa's second quarter was more up and down than the first, but the Hawkeyes still are firmly in control and are playing some of their best team offense in several games. The ball movement, in particular, has been stellar as Iowa has six assists on 18 made shots.

Clark (2-for-9 shooting, 1-for-7 from 3) has done everything but shoot well. She has nine points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals.

Molly Davis (12 points) is playing her game game in weeks, and Hannah Stuelke (10 points) has been solid in the paint.

Illinois has struggled to keep with the Hawkeyes but have hung around thanks to its ability to make tough shots.

Q2/6:57 Iowa 40, Illinois 22

Just when it looked like Illinois was settling in and cut its deficit to 10 points, Iowa jumped out to a 10-2 run by taking advantage of its fast break potency.

Molly Davis benefitted from a pair of layups on passes from Clark, and also hit a triple at the top of the key. Kate Martin also made another 3-pointer and is 2-for-2 from deep.

Clark still hasn't shot much by her standards (2-for-6), but has nine points, six rebounds and three assists.

End 1: Iowa 30, Illinois 18

Head coach Lisa Bluder couldn't have been much happier with Iowa's offensive performance that frame.

Six of the eight players who got minutes scored, and not relying on just Clark allowed the offense to get whatever it wanted. Illinois was forced to either pay attention to Clark or risk her having 1-on-1 matchups, and the supporting Hawkeyes took advantage of their opportunities.

Q1/2:40 Iowa 24, Illinois 10

Iowa's offense is clicking right now with everyone, not just Clark, contributing in positive ways.

Kylie Feuerbach has been a sparkplug off the bench, making both of her 3-point attempts, the second of which forced an Illinois timeout.

Q1/4:54 Iowa 12, Illinois 6

The Hawkeyes have been getting it done on both ends thus far, creating three Illinois turnovers while consistently getting good shots offensively.

Clark just made her first triple and has five points, but she hasn't been able to create a shot for a teammate just yet.

Q1/6:58 Iowa 9, Illinois 2

Iowa began this game on a 9-0 run, looking much more comfortable and confident than the team did in its last game at Indiana.

Molly Davis ignited the spark early on the defensive end, notching a chase-down block and drawing a charge.

Kate Martin has also come out firing and has five points.

How to watch Caitlin Clark, Iowa women's basketball vs. Illinois

More: How to watch, stream and listen to No. 4 Iowa women's basketball vs. Illinois today

What to know about Caitlin Clark, Iowa women's basketball vs. Illinois

Who are Illinois women's basketball's best players?

• Scoring leader: Makira Cook (14.8 PPG)
• Assists leader: Makira Cook (4.0 APG)
• Rebounding leader: Kendall Bostic (10.0 RPG)

Gus Martin is a Digital Producer/Content Director for The Des Moines Register. Follow him on X at @GusMartin_DMR.