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COLLEGE PARK, Maryland − What a game. What a player.
As attention continues to grow for Caitlin Clark, her game almost inexplicably reaches new levels.
On FOX’s national stage and with his every move broadcast for two hours straight on TikTok, Clark avoided the boos and “airball” chants of a raucous crowd. Maryland crowd in the coolest way he knows how: launching an aerial assault of deep 3-pointers, darting passes and spinning layups.
The Iowa women’s basketball senior overcame a brief injury scare and her fourth-ranked Hawkeyes staved off three separate Maryland attacks, earning a hard-fought 93-85 victory Saturday night at the XFINITY Center.
Further:Recap: Caitlin Clark and Iowa women’s basketball win at Maryland on Saturday
Clark finished with 38 points and 12 assists as the Hawkeyes improved to 21-2 overall, 10-1 in Big Ten Conference play, while snapping a seven-game losing streak at Maryland for the program. The Hawkeyes lost here a year ago, 96-68, a game in which Clark was held to just 18 points. He hasn’t scored fewer than 21 since then, in a span of 33 games.
Maryland fell to 12-10, 4-7, suffering its fourth straight loss.
“This is the first time I’ve been happy in this press room, so I feel pretty good,” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said. “Congratulations to Maryland for an exceptional atmosphere. I mean, it was very loud there. It was difficult to communicate.”
Molly Davis’ three-pointer with 40 seconds left put the finishing touch on this Iowa victory and an entertaining contest that was lively all night. Davis finished with 17 points and Kate Martin added 15 points and 10 rebounds. “Come on hawks!” Chants from the energetic Hawkeye faithful capped Iowa’s victory party.
The Hawkeyes outrebounded Maryland, 48-32, and had 17 offensive rebounds, including one from Sydney Affolter and a kickoff to Davis to give Iowa an 89-80 lead.
“Good things happen when we have O-boards,” Davis said. “I think Hannah had about three girls with her, that’s why I was so open.”
A sold-out crowd filled the venue, where thousands of fans lined up at least 2 and a half hours before kickoff to get a seat for the fourth sold-out event in XFINITY Center history. The arena was probably 70/30 on Maryland White and picked up speed after an 11-0 Terrapins blitz forced Bluder to call a timeout just 2:56 into the game.
To that point, Iowa had gone six straight possessions without a point and trailed 11-3. The lull in the action and noise seemed to calm the Hawkeyes. A spinning layup by Martin, a 3-pointer by Davis and a deep 3-pointer by Clark quickly brought the Hawkeyes to an 11-11 tie.
When the first quarter ended (which included Clark wowing the TikTok crowd with an incredibly deep 3-pointer off FOX announcer Gus Johnson for a 17-13 lead), Iowa was leading, 27-19, and had gone 7- of 9 from deep to tie the program record for most three-pointers made in a quarter.
Clark scored 23 points at halftime, despite a body hit in the second quarter that sent her to Gary Williams. Fortunately, her absence was brief (only 66 seconds) and she appeared to be out of breath.
The Terrapins weren’t going to sit still, though, not against an opponent they had never lost to at home since joining the Big Ten in 2014. A 23-3 Maryland surge in the third quarter erased a 58-point lead. Iowa -40. Maryland made nine consecutive field goal attempts to start the period. But Clark’s three assists and a cool 3-pointer from the right wing plus two free throws sent the Hawkeyes back in front to end the third, 73-66.
Maryland wasn’t done yet. The Terps rallied to tie it, 76-76. But when a crisis arises, Clark is always there. The star senior hit a deep 3-pointer from the left side (her favorite spot of his) and then fed a beautiful pass to Sydney Affolter for an 81-76 lead with 5:25 left.
Clark was right, in 76-76, the XFINITY Center was as loud as it had been all night. She quickly silenced them.
“That was a great play in the game and when the crowd is loud, you have to ignore them,” Clark said. “I thought we did a really good job on that.”
Affolter’s 3-pointer (on a magnificent Clark kick) increased the lead to 84-78 with 3:29 left, and Iowa finally came a little closer to exhaling and claiming a big road victory.
Clark’s 38 points give him 3,462 for his career. He is now just 66 away from breaking Kelsey Plum’s NCAA career record of 3,527.
Every victory is imperative for the Hawkeyes, who are seeking more than just an outright Big Ten Conference regular-season title. They would also love to get the top seed in the NCAA Tournament.
They entered Saturday into a three-way tie atop the Big Ten standings with No. 7 Ohio State (which beat Iowa in Columbus) and No. 9 Indiana (which lost in Iowa City), with 9 -1 in conference games. The Hoosiers play at Ohio State at noon CT on Sunday.
“This is a big win for our program,” Clark said. “Any time you can steal a win in a single road game is huge in the Big Ten standings.”
Iowa will next host Penn State (16-6, 7-4) at 8 pm on Thursday, followed by a Super Bowl trip on Sunday to Nebraska (14-8, 6-5).
Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikow has covered sports for 29 years with The Des Moines Register and USA TODAY Sports Network. Join Chad’s texting group (free for subscribers) on HawkCentral.com/HawkeyesTexts. Follow @ChadLeistikow on Twitter.