Trailing by a seemingly insurmountable deficit with a couple of minutes left, it looked like it was all over for the Hawkeyes women’s basketball team.
Not enough time to mount a comeback. Thanks for coming out. Goodnight.
Then the superstar that is Caitlin Clark woke up.
She nailed a nasty stepback jumper to cut into the deficit to get the crowd back into it, assisted on a fastbreak layup to Hannah Stuelke, then found Kate Martin in the corner for a shot from long range. As the clock ticked away in the final minute — 50 seconds, 40 seconds, 30 seconds — Clark went into attack mode knowing she needed a bucket. She fought her way into the paint, muscled up a contested layup, and tied the game to force overtime
The extra session served as Clark’s coronation.
With the Hawkeyes trailing once again, she went back to the stepback jumper, sinking the shot to give her team a lead it would relinquish. She intercepted a pass on the next possession and knocked down a pair of free throws. She finished the game with another steal for good measure, then chucked the ball into the crowd as the final buzzer sounded and confetti rained down.
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark celebrates as time expires during the overtime win of an NCAA college basketball game against Nebraska in the final of the Big Ten women’s tournament Sunday, March 10, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
For the third straight year — with Clark leading the charge — the Hawkeyes are Big Ten Tournament champions. No. 2 seed Iowa earned a 94-89 win over No. 5 seed Nebraska in a game for the ages on Sunday afternoon at Target Center. A heavy emphasis on the word earned.
It was the latest master class from Clark as she finished with 34 points, 7 rebounds, and 12 assists. She shook off a rough shooting performance to start the game and proved she’s undoubtedly the best player in the country. Maybe the best player that’s ever played women’s college basketball.
That said, Clark couldn’t have done it without her teammates, as Stuelke finished with 25 points, Martin chipped in with 13 points, Sydney Affolter recorded 11 points and with 11 rebounds, and Gabbie Marshall played incredible defense on the perimeter down the stretch.
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