IOWA CITY — Another season, another classic installment of a heated Big Ten women’s basketball rivalry.
In a clash of the conference titans, No. 3 Iowa defeated No. 14 Indiana 84-57 in front of a 15,000-person crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday night.
The 27-point loss, driven by a 41-point second half from Iowa, was the second largest of the season behind the 32-point loss to Stanford on Nov. 12, 2023.
“Well, we’re very disappointed,” Indiana head coach Teri Moren said. “It felt like that first half, we just turned it over too many times.”
Indiana graduate student forward Mackenzie Holmes had 16 points and seven rebounds throughout the contest. It was her 14th straight double figure-scoring game.
Indiana senior guard Sara Scalia had a season-high nine rebounds and six points. Senior guard Sydney Parrish had 11 points and six rebounds.
Despite 11 points and four rebounds, Indiana sophomore guard Yarden Garzon also had six turnovers that kept the offense stagnant throughout the night.
“I don’t feel like the moment was too big for us,” Moren said. “I just don’t think we played our best basketball.”
Indiana started off well defensively in the first quarter by holding Iowa to 2-for-13 from 3-point range. Senior guard Caitlin Clark went 0-for-6 from outside of the arc, but the Hoosiers fouling allowed for her to go 2-for-2 at the charity stripe along with the rest of the team going 3-for-3.
Holmes was 3-for-4 from the field and kept the Hoosiers close only being down 19-17 at the end of the quarter.
The second quarter rolled around, and senior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil tied the game up at 19-all to open the frame. However, Iowa hit two consecutive 3-point shots to extend its lead to six.
After a cold first quarter start, “The Caitlin Clark Show” once again returned to its scheduled programming as she started to find a groove and went 4-for-5 from the field, all from 3-point range, including a buzzer beater to extend Iowa’s lead by seven. Going into the half, Iowa would have a 43-37 advantage.
Despite their offensive efforts, the Hoosiers finished with nine turnovers in the first half. The Hawkeyes were able to capitalize on opportunities to take the lead.
“In the first half our transition defense wasn’t all that good,” Clark said. “Overall, our defense was better. We were physical, we boxed out, we didn’t allow too many chances and we pushed really hard in transition.”
During the third quarter, Iowa started to pull away as the 3-point shots were falling. The team shot a combined 5-for-9 that gave them a comfortable 68-45 lead. The 22-point quarter allowed Iowa to open the floodgates.
Iowa graduate student guard Kate Martin joined the 1,000-point club with her first 3-pointer of the night during the third quarter.
Indiana shot 27.3% from the field during the same quarter and the offensive struggle became more apparent than it was during the first half. Clark continued to find the basket and went 3-for-5 from the field and 2-for-4 from outside. She finished with 30 points, 11 assists and five rebounds against the Hoosiers.
Aside from Clark, Iowa also had quality performances from its other starters. Fifth-year guard Molly Davis had 18 points and went 7-for-10 from the field. Fifth-year guard Gabbie Marshall had 12 points.
“We have to regroup,” Moren said. “We have some soul searching to do.”
A nine-point fourth quarter from Indiana with only Garzon, Scalia and Holmes scoring did not allow for any form of offensive resurgence as Iowa would score 19 in the quarter and continue its undefeated conference record. The Hoosiers finished the game with 15 turnovers and shot 25.3% from the 3-point arc.
“Adversity is all about how you respond to it,” Holmes said. “Any other day it should be something that brings you together. We're going to have to have some tough conversations and rewatch this game.”
Indiana is now 14-2 this season and 5-1 in Big Ten play. Next game is against Minnesota at 8 p.m. on Wednesday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
