Clark helps No. 10 Iowa edge Michigan State 84-81 in OT
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Caitlin Clark had 26 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds to help No. 10 Iowa beat Michigan State 84-81 in overtime on Wednesday night.
Clark, who leads the Big Ten in scoring, hit a turnaround jumper with 31 seconds left to give Iowa the lead, then sealed it with a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left.
Monika Czinano added 22 points hitting all 11 of her shots — a school record — for Iowa (15-4, 7-1 Big Ten) before fouling out..
“We had to face a lot of adversity today,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. “We lost McKenna (Warnock, to injury early in the second half). We lost Monika to fouls. We didn’t shoot the ball well, and to overcome all that and go into overtime and win on the road, I’m really pleased with our team’s effort. It wasn’t our most beautiful win, but I told the team there’s no asterisk at the end of that.”
Kamara McDaniel scored a team-high 21 points for the Spartans (10-9, 2-6). Matilda Ekh added 13, while Moira Joiner and Isoline Alexander had 11 apiece.
“We were struggling with their press, and they were able to capitalize on that,” Czinano said. ’They ere driving to the hoop as well as any team we’ve seen, and they were O-boarding really well. There were a lot of factors that kept them in it.”
The Spartans had a final chance to win the game in overtime. With five seconds left, Clark was called for an intentional foul. McDaniel hit both free throws to get Michigan State within 82-81. McDaniel traveled on the ensuing possession with two seconds left and Molly Davis hit two free throws to seal the win.
“We have to be more efficient nd get the job done,” MSU coach Suzy Merchant said. “It’s frustrating. We’ve lost three overtime games, and in two of those we were flat. Tonight, I thought our effort was good, but our efficiency wasn’t great on the offensive end.
Both teams had chances to win in regulation, but neither scored in the final 47 seconds.
Iowa led for all but a split second in the first half, yielding the lead when McDaniel hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Spartans a 32-31 halftime lead.
“It was a big lift,” she said. “Those shots are cool, and thank God I was able to make it”
BIG PICTURE
Iowa: The Hawkeyes have a bigger challenge coming. They’ll face unbeaten Ohio State on Monday for the only meeting of the regular season between the teams.
Michigan State: The Spartans are 1-7 against Top 25 teams this season . Their only win against a ranked team so far was an 83-79 win over Indiana on Dec. 29.
UP NEXT
Iowa — At No. 2 Ohio State, Monday.
Michigan State — Home vs. Rutgers, Sunday.
