Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes extended their win streak to six on Jan. 28, taking down the Nebraska Cornhuskers by a score of 80-76. Head Coach Lisa Bluder and her bunch started off a bit slow, with Nebraska taking an early 6-0 lead. But the best medicine in Carver Hawkeye Arena is a Caitlin Clark three pointer, and she delivered with authority.
Clark finished the game with 33 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists, nearly making it a second consecutive triple-double. Alongside the star, center Monika Czinano tacked on 17 points, and freshman forward Hannah Stuelke added 12 more off the bench in the Hawkeye win.
Nebraska had a glimmer of hope in the fourth quarter, pulling back within six points with only a couple minutes to play. But once again the Hawkeye defense remained stout. For the Cornhuskers, all five of their starters had 10 or more points. Shooting guard Sam Haiby led the charge with 16. Forward Isabelle Bourne was close behind with 14, and center Alexis Markowski had a double-double, finishing with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The big key coming into this game for the Huskers was to limit Clark’s scoring. That strategy worked at first, but once number 22 got hot, it was all over. Czinano started off slow as well, succedding later in the game with some bread and butter assists from Clark. Guard Gabbie Marshall also contributed with five aggressive boards, helping Iowa to extend their lead to 16 at one point.
With the win, the Hawkeyes jump to 17-4 on the season, and 9-1 in the Big 10 conference. The Cornhuskers still keep a winning record at 12-9, but take yet another Big 10 loss. Nebraska is now 4-6 in the conference.
Last year after a win over Nebraska, Clark had piled up two consecutive games with 30 points and a triple double. The only other players at any level to do that since 2000? LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Luka Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. One more assist today and Clark would have done it again for a second straight season.
With March Madness less than two months away, the Hawkeyes look for vengeance after an early exit to Creighton in 2022. Up next, the Hawks take on Maryland on Feb. 2 in Iowa City at 7:30pm, on National Women and Girl’s in Sports Day. It will be another opportunity for Clark to display her leadership amongst younger generations of basketball players around the nation.
