No. 10 seed Creighton beat No. 2 seed Iowa on its home floor in the biggest upset so far in the women's NCAA tournament.
"A wonderful opportunity for a women's basketball game today on ABC in front of a sold-out crowd," Clark said. I did not think the game would be in the low 60s, and it certainly did not start out that way. Center Monika Czinano had a team-high 27 points on 12-of-20 shooting, but she and forward McKenna Warnock missed shots in the paint in the final 3 seconds. But I think overall just more fuel for us going into next year." Clark entered the game averaging 27.4 points and 7.9 assists but struggled for much of Sunday's game on the scoring front, although she did have 11 assists. The Bluejays sent notice that they meant business with an 84-74 victory over No. 7 seed Colorado on Friday in the first round, and they led for much of the game Sunday. Iowa got two shots at the game-tying basket, but both fell short as the buzzer sounded. But Sunday, she was held to a season-low 15 points, going 4-of-19 from the field, including 0-of-8 in the second half. Iowa just didn't adjust well enough to that and was outrebounded 52-37. But Creighton's five-out offense was something that worried Iowa coming in, and that proved to be part of the Hawkeyes' undoing. Clark, though, didn't make the officiating a focus. "On the flip side, there's also some nerves with that because I'm wearing a different color this year. No. 10 seed Creighton wasn't intimidated by the fans, No. 2 seed Iowa or star Caitlin Clark, knocking off the Hawkeyes 64-62 in the second round.
The second-seeded Hawkeyes had one final chance as Iowa women's basketball head coach Lisa Bluder took a timeout with three seconds left on the game clock.
That’s the hardest thing for me right now, is that I don’t get to go to practice tomorrow.” Iowa is used to defending the paint — a commonality with Big Ten opponents. I can’t believe I don’t get to go to practice tomorrow. Your support helps provide the necessary resources and training to continue our mission. On Sunday, officials called just 22 fouls and Iowa shot from the charity stripe eight times. While Creighton’s BIG EAST-style offense bewildered the Hawkeyes, Bluder also had a problem with the NCAA’s officiating on Sunday afternoon. “ … I apologize to our fans that they couldn’t celebrate a victory with us today. We needed to run that play and it was just unfortunate that it didn’t go in.” So, I think it was familiarity, but I don’t think either team probably played as well offensively as their best.” While Iowa quickly vacated the arena hardwood, mourning its highly anticipated postseason run coming to an early end, Creighton celebrated making the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. Creighton ranks 10th in Division I women’s basketball with 75.1 points per game, but only scored 64 on Sunday. Iowa was down two points coming out of the timeout, and junior guard Kate Martin held the ball at half court.
It started as a day to remember for Iowa women's basketball. It ended in disaster.
But overall they executed down the stretch and we didn't, and there's a lot of little things that you can go back and pick out from a one-possession game." It was going plenty in a first half that Iowa was lucky to survive. "I've shot a million hook shots in my life and that one happened to not go in," Czinano said. A spin and a hook shot hung on the rim. Even when the Hawkeyes came charging back in the fourth quarter following a first half to forget, the Bluejays locked in and had a counter for every Iowa push. The shot rattled home and quieted Carver-Hawkeye in a hurry, aside from a few drops of blue splattered throughout the gold.
Creighton and Iowa met in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.
LISA BLUDER: Obviously just want to congratulate Creighton. A very well-played game, executed really well, defended really well. That's a hard matchup for us.
I think like Monika said, it was a lot of long rebounds so I think that led to the tip-out to their teammates, and that's probably something they work on every single day in practice. That's the hardest thing for me right now is that I don't get to go to practice tomorrow. I think finding somebody to box and just being better prepared in that area, having the mentality to go get the balls, more than anything. But I totally agree with Caitlin that that is something that needs to improve for our team and something that has improved this year but can go even further. But I think we're a fun team to watch. It fills you with joy and it makes the game so fun and it fuels you. Obviously didn't perform the way we needed to to win in the fashion that we wanted, and I think we still had a lot of opportunities to win the game. And the O-boards that they did get, they executed and basically scored on most of them, and that hurt. CAITLIN CLARK: Yeah, I think that was kind of the story of the game as well for us. I could say that every single game, Coach Bluder could say that every single game, our opponent could say that every single game. But overall they executed down the stretch and we didn't, and there's a lot of little things that you can go back and pick out from a one-possession game. And I think it's overall just going to be a lot of fuel to the fire next year.
Tenth-seeded Creighton made its first round of 16, and it did it with late-game drama befitting the N.C.A.A. women's basketball tournament.
Creighton held her to just 15 points on 4 of 19 shooting, although, with 11 assists and eight rebounds, she nearly had a triple-double. “It kind of rattled off the back rim there. Lauren Jensen, a sophomore who is in her first year playing for Creighton after transferring from Iowa before the season, shut the door on her former team on its home court in Iowa City with a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute to help seal a 64-62 victory over the second-seeded Hawkeyes.
Lauren Jensen's 3-pointer with 12.6 seconds remaining helped lead the Jays to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history.
Former Hawkeye Lauren Jensen returned to Carver-Hawkeye Arena and led Creighton to a 64-62 upset win over Iowa in the NCAA women's basketball tournament.
We needed to run that play, and it was just unfortunate that it didn't go in.” Her hook shot was short, Kate Martin’s tip was off the mark, and Warnock’s desperation fling was after the buzzer. Rebounds: Creighton 52 (Maly 13), Iowa 37 (Clark 8). Assists: Creighton 15 (Rembao 5), Iowa 18 (Clark 11). Steals: Creighton 3 (three with 1), Iowa 9 (Warnock, Martin, Taiwo 2). Turnovers: Creighton 14, Iowa 6. “But on the flipside, there's also some nerves with that because I'm wearing a different color this year.” “Obviously in games we've lost, rebounding has been a pretty big issue for us, and it was tonight,” Clark said. The Hawkeyes (24-8) had won eight straight games and were firing on cylinders. Emma Ronsiek’s free throw with 3.8 seconds left gave Creighton a 64-62 advantage. Last year, as a freshman, she appeared in 18 games for Iowa, averaging 7 minutes and 1.3 points per game. 3-point goals: Creighton 10-34 (Bachelor 0-2, Ronsiek 1-6, Jensen 3-7, Brotzki 3-8, Maly 2-6, Saunders 0-2, Mogensen 1-3), Iowa 5-22 (Warnock 0-2, Martin 0-4, Clark 3-10, Marshall 2-6). Team fouls: Creighton 12, Iowa 10. “Storybook,” Creighton Coach Jim Flanery said. Clark misfired on a drive to the hoop, and the Hawkeyes fouled. After a timeout advanced the ball to midcourt, Czinano got the ball in the middle of the lane.