MINNEAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark overcame a cold begin to score 30 of her 34 focuses after halftime and offer assistance third-ranked Iowa rally past Nebraska 94-89 in extra minutes to win a third straight Enormous Ten Competition on Sunday.
“It never gets ancient cutting the net,” Clark said after dark and gold confetti secured the court at Target Center to the enchant of another sellout swarm stuffed with Hawkeyes fans. “I feel like we’re beautiful great at that.”
Hannah Stuelke had 25 focuses and nine bounce back for Iowa (29-4), which trailed by 13 focuses late within the to begin with half whereas their superstar Clark missed all nine of her 3-point attempts.
You’ll perhaps keep Caitlin down for a half. You’re not keeping her down for a entirety game,” Hawkeyes coach Lisa Bluder said.
The all-time NCAA driving scorer wrapped up 5 for 17 from profound, had 12 helps and hit the knife 3-pointer with 51 seconds cleared out in OT for an 89-87 lead fair 16 seconds after Logan Nissley’s 3-pointer put the Cornhuskers in front.
“I knew a few shots were getting to go in,” Clark said. “That’s fair how it works.”
Alexis Markowski had 23 focuses and 13 bounce back to lead Nebraska (22-11) in a brave execution that fell brief of a moment triumph over Iowa this season. The Huskers beat the Hawkeyes 82-79 on Feb. 11.
No one else did, but we anticipated to win,” said Nebraska coach Amy Williams, who had tears gushing down her confront at the postgame meet platform as she lauded Nissley’s exertion after her red-eyed players choked up amid a few of their comments.
Natalie Potts had 21 focuses and nine bounce back for the Huskers, who driven 75-67 with 2 1/2 minutes to go in direction, before Clark drained one of her signature stepback 3-pointers. Her layup in traffic tied the diversion with 29 seconds cleared out.
Nebraska played for the ultimate shot, and Nissley’s standard jumper was brief at the buzzer. Clark waved her arms at the Iowa-dominated sellout swarm, hollering:
“Come on! Five more minutes!”
The Hawkeyes were well mindful of Jaz Shelley – who had 16 focuses and 13 helps – on that final ownership of direction after the Australian hit a 3-pointer with 30 seconds cleared out in their final assembly.
“They fixed things up,” Williams said. “I would’ve, too.”
The Huskers played their fourth diversion in four days, beating Purdue, Michigan State and Maryland to reach the conference last for the primary time in 10 a long time. In spite of the 11 a.m. Central tipoff and the misplaced hour for the sunshine sparing time clock alter, they beyond any doubt didn’t need for vitality.
These territorial rivals – one fan clutched a intelligent sign that perused, “Iowa has superior corn!” – from the conference’s soon-to-be-stretched-way-out western edge played a rough and furious amusement befitting their grind-it-out matchups on the football field. Bodies slammed difficult against the floor frequently, and the pushing for position around the wicker container was strongly.
Markowski and Potts, the Big Ten First year recruit of the Year grant champ, played bravely interior after Iowa commanded a 54-16 points-in-the-paint advantage on Michigan the day before. Clark mostly found her normal playable looks at the band, but the long ball fair wasn’t her companion. The Hawkeyes coordinated each bit of the Huskers’ fire, in spite of the fact that, and made beyond any doubt they remained inside striking extend by getting the ball to the bushel as much as they seem and locking down on defense.
“That’s likely what I’m most glad of, that we found a diverse way to win,” Clark said
Clark immediately bit into Nebraska’s 46-35 halftime lead by hitting a stepback jumper from the foul line. Her to begin with profound shot at last fell when she floated right off the break and washed a pullup from the wing to bring Iowa inside 48-42, and she pumped her clench hand with a slight grin on the way back.
Twisting off tall screens was a formula for success. Clark gave the Hawkeyes their to begin with lead since 5-4 when she did fair that off a pass from Kate Martin – who hit all three of her 3-pointers after the third quarter – and easily drove in for a layup that made it 53-52.
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