No. 4 Iowa survived an upset scare against Michigan State with a 76-73 win on Tuesday. Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark ended the night with one of her most memorable plays yet.
Clark hit a mind-blowing buzzer beater from the logo to finish her 40-point night on a high note, sending Carver-Hawkeye Arena into a frenzy.
“We practice those plays every single day at practice,” Clark told NBC after the game. “That’s what we run every single time. … They contested it pretty well, honestly. A close game, they played us really well. You gotta give them credit. Things didn’t really go our way tonight, but we just persevered.”
This was Clark’s 100th game with at least 20 points. It was also her fourth consecutive 35-point game, tied for the most of any Division I women’s basketball player over the last 25 seasons. As if that wasn’t enough, this was Clark’s 10th 40-point game, and according to ESPN Stats & Info that’s the most by any DI player in 25 years.
Clark had 14 successful field goals on Tuesday, and eight of those were from 3-point range. The senior guard is now at 3,189 career points, which helped her pass Brittney Griner for fourth on the women’s college basketball all-time scoring list.
Clark had another play late in the game that was nearly as impressive as her game-winner, and it came on the other end of the court: She made an emphatic block with 42 seconds remaining when the score was tied 71-71.
Iowa fifth-year guard Molly Davis was then awarded a somewhat controversial 3-point shooting foul with 30 seconds left, and she converted two of her three attempts to give Iowa a short-lived lead.
Michigan State’s DeeDee Hagemann made a layup to tie it once again with 22 seconds left. Everybody in America knew who Iowa would be giving the ball to next, but Clark still managed to shock the world.
The Spartans entered this game unranked, but they were a worthy opponent. While Iowa relied on Clark’s 40 points and another 15 from Hannah Stuelke, no other Hawkeye reached double figures.
Meanwhile, all seven of the Michigan State players who checked in registered at least six points, and four scored in double digits. The Spartans’ leading scorer, Moira Joiner, had an off night as she went just 3-of-13, but she still had 10 points and her team’s depth made it an interesting game.
The Hawkeyes improved to 14-1 and start the Big Ten season 3-0, while Michigan State falls to 11-3 and 1-2 in conference play. Iowa will be back on the court Friday against Rutgers, and the Spartans will look to bounce back against Maryland on Tuesday, Jan. 9.
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