In a battle of teams trending in opposite directions, No. 17 IU women’s basketball defeated Iowa for the first time since February 2019 in its 85-72 win Sunday. The Hoosiers have now won six of their last seven games while the Hawkeyes have dropped five of their last seven.
The victory also marks IU’s first time winning at Iowa since 1994.
“This has always been a really difficult place to win,” head coach Teri Moren said. “I liked the poise that we showed. We knew that they were not gonna go away, that’s just not in Iowa’s DNA. They don’t go away.”
Despite missing several easy chances to score and allowing Iowa to shoot 50% from 3-point territory, IU led after the first two quarters and seized momentum heading into halftime.
The Hoosiers led 20-18 through one quarter but then fell behind 31-22 after the Hawkeyes went on a 10-run. Iowa freshman guard Caitilin Clark, who finished with 30 points, hit her second 3-pointer from well behind the arc to put the Hawkeyes up 9 points.
It was their largest lead of the game, but it didn’t last. IU responded with a 14-2 run to close out the half and retake the lead 36-33 heading into halftime.
Of all the defensive adjustments made throughout the game, Moren said she was most pleased with senior guard Nicole Cardaño-Hillary’s effort after being switched onto Clark.
“I thought Nikki did just a great job of staying underneath her and making it more difficult,” Moren said. “I know Cait Clark had 30 but she had to shoot it 27 times to get her 30.”
Cardaño-Hillary also finished with 17 points on 3-for-6 shooting from 3-point range. Thrust into the lineup on short notice with the news before tip-off of senior guard Jaelynn Penn opting out of the remainder of the season, Cardaño-Hillary impressed her teammates in a big way, too.
“She fits so well into what we try to do,” senior forward Mackenzie Holmes said of Cardaño-Hillary. “Push the ball, play great defense, and I think she stepped up huge tonight and we’re looking for her to do that consistently every game.”
The Hoosiers went up 57-47 in the third quarter before the Hawkeyes countered with a timely stretch of their own. Iowa had a chance to take the lead with the game tied 58-58 early in the fourth quarter on an and-one layup, but Clark couldn’t convert from the line on Iowa’s first and only missed free throw.
The Hoosiers then pulled away down the stretch with their balanced scoring attack as the defense slowed the Hawkeyes. Iowa was so desperate trying to get back into the game with its offense that there wasn’t enough energy left for the Hawkeyes defensively in the second half.
“We thought our best offense today was gonna be running and getting downhill,” Moren said. “And I thought Iowa quite frankly got a little bit tired and fatigued, especially in the third, because of our pace we were trying to play at.”
Holmes finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds while senior guard Ali Patberg scored 23 points and recorded seven assists. Junior guard Grace Berger had 15 points and nine rebounds.
IU, 11-4 overall and 9-2 in Big Ten play, is next scheduled to play at 4 p.m. Wednesday against Penn State in Bloomington.
