Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes captured a third consecutive Big Ten tournament title Sunday in a thrilling, back-and-forth overtime game that ended with Iowa exacting some revenge on the Nebraska Cornhuskers and pulling out a 94-89 win.
Sunday's game marked the third meeting of the season between these two teams – and served as the rubber match. Clark scored 38 points in their first matchup, a 92-73 victory for the Hawkeyes. She put up 31 points in the second meeting with Nebraska – but was held scoreless in the fourth quarter as the Cornhuskers rallied for an 82-79 victory.
Clark was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player for the third consecutive year to match her with Ohio State's Jantel Lavender, who claimed the award three consecutive seasons from 2009-2011.
"This is definitely the hardest one," Clark said afterward. "It's three in a row but it's by far the hardest. I'm just so proud of our group. … It’s really hard to get to this spot. Nebraska put up a really great fight but I just thought we always responded and always had an answer for them."
Iowa trailed by nine at halftime, and Clark was struggling to score. That's putting it nicely: she had just four points at the break. She finished with 34. She also recorded her 21st double-double of the season, dishing out 12 assists. Additionally, she grabbed seven rebounds and three steals.
"I’m so proud of our perseverance," Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. "We didn’t play very well in the first half. We just kept believing. I thought we played much better. Went through the smoke out there today, baby."
Here's a look back at all the highlights and analysis from the Iowa-Nebraska Big Ten championship game:
MARCH MADNESS:Women's college basketball conference tournament scores, schedule
It’s only fitting, of course, that Iowa came back from as many as 13 down to win the Big Ten Championship because of the play of Caitlin Clark.
But could anyone have predicted she’d put the game away on defense?
A steal with 40 seconds to play in overtime – right after she’d hit another 3 to give Iowa an 89-87 lead – was the dagger, and Clark finished it by making two free throws to give Iowa a 91-87 lead and make it a two-possession game. Gabbie Marshall didn’t want to be left out of the defensive party, though, blocking a Nebraska 3 attempt with 30 seconds left and grabbing the ball to give Iowa possession.
Clark finished with 34 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds. Hannah Stuelke chipped in 25 points and nine rebounds.
That was an impressive, gritty performance by Iowa, and it might have locked up a 1 seed for the Hawkeyes in the NCAA tournament.
It also gives Iowa its third consecutive Big Ten tournament championship. Just one more accomplishment to add to Clark’s resume.
Caitlin Clark for 3, who’s heard that before?
She’s got 32 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds. Nebraska is about to have the ball. Will the Huskers execute better out of this timeout than they did their last one? We’ll see.
Is it time for some Caitlin Clark magic?
In the last two minutes the superstar has hit another side-step 3, kicked to her best friend Kate Martin for another 3, and then finished at the rim for a tough two.
Meanwhile, Hannah Stuelke has four fouls, Alexis Markowski and Natalie Potts both have 19 points and this game has suddenly turned crazy.
Are we going to see a Clark game-winner before the day is over? Seems possible.
Caitlin Clark is starting to feel it.
The senior guard is having a lot of success driving to her right and finishing at the rim through contact. (That’s notable just cause her preferred shot is a one-dribble, sidestep 3 to her left.) She’s also starting to hit her signature 3.
Keep in mind that in Lincoln, Nebraska dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring Iowa 27-10 in the final period. Clark is going to do everything possible to make sure that doesn’t happen again today. She’s already got her 21st double-double of the season, with 21 points and 10 assists.
A key development for Nebraska: forward Kendall Coley fouled out with 6:16 to play. Talk about less than ideal, especially given that Hannah Stuelke has 19 points.
But if Nebraska can keep hitting 3s — the Huskers are 12-of-29 from deep, while Iowa is 8-of-26 — maybe it won’t matter.
We’ve got ourselves a game, folks.
After trailing by as much as 13, Iowa took a 53-52 lead when Caitlin Clark – who else? – drove the lane and scored a layup. Through three quarters she has 16 points, nine assists and six rebounds.
Meanwhile, those legs I talked about for Nebraska? They’re starting to become a problem. The Huskers are settling for, and missing, a lot of long looks. This is the time to pound the ball inside, and get to the free throw line to 1) rest and 2) slow down Iowa’s pace. Iowa took the lead after an 8-0 run.
Natalie Potts leads Nebraska with 16 points, while Alexis Markowski has recorded the 40th double-double of her career, with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Gosh, Caitlin Clark needed that.
After starting 0-10 from 3, Clark finally connected on an attempt from long-distance, hitting her first 3 of the game with 8:35 to play in the third quarter. Before that, Clark was a combined 6-of-35 (!) from 3 during the Big Ten tournament.
But when she hit that first one early in the third, she pumped her fist and looked visibly relieved. She hasn’t hit one since, but Iowa is getting a little momentum from its defense – Nebraska is on a 3:26 scoring drought, and has hit just one of its last eight attempts.
Meanwhile Jaz Shelley is 3-of-9 from beyond the arc, and has taken a couple of bad shots early this half. Again, being tired can really wear on you both physically and mentally in conference tournaments. Staying disciplined will be crucial for the Huskers to get their second win this season over Iowa.
Caitlin Clark is clearly annoyed right now — with her shooting, with the defense, with the officiating.
But the Iowa senior is doing a great job finding her teammates, so while she has only four points, she’s already got eight assists.
A couple stats to keep an eye on: Nebraska is outrebounding Iowa 26-20, and has already scored 11 second-chance points on nine offensive rebounds. It’s a relatively physical game, and Iowa isn’t handling that very well.
For Nebraska, Jaz Shelley remains fearless. She has 10 points, and ended the half with a crucial 3. Natalie Potts leads all scorers with 12 points for the Huskers. Meanwhile, Hannah Stuelke has 11 for Iowa.
Remember: Nebraska is considerably more tired than Iowa, and the Hawkeyes will try to take advantage of that in the second half. Clark will try to get her teammates to run and push pace in transition — right now Nebraska leads in fastbreak points, 7-5.
There’s no doubt an Iowa run is coming. It’s all about how Nebraska weathers it.
Clearly, Nebraska has decided it’s going to make players not named Caitlin Clark beat the Huskers. And so far, it’s working.
The Huskers are going a good job doubling on the pick and roll, forcing Clark to give up the ball (she already has six assists). Clark is 0-for-8 from 3.
Meanwhile, Nebraska started the game 4-of-6 on 3, and is 1-7 since. That’s what four games in four days — the Huskers were the No. 5 seed, which means they played in an early game while Iowa had a bye into the quarterfinals — can do to you. It’ll be interesting to see how the Huskers legs hold up the second half.
Caitlin Clark’s scoreless streak vs. Nebraska is over.
Clark, the Big Ten player of the year, was held scoreless in the fourth quarter at Nebraska on Feb. 11 as the Huskers upset Iowa 82-79. She started the Big Ten Championship Sunday pretty cold from the field, too.
But with a layup with 2:56 to go in the first quarter, Clark has finally scored on the Huskers again. No doubt that for the best scorer in the country, the drought felt like an eternity. And it took her seven attempts to get those points.
More good news for the Hawkeyes: They ended the quarter on an 8-2 run to pull within six. Iowa still doesn’t look quite like itself — Clark is 0-for-6 from 3 — but there’s still a lot of time left.
These are are some unfriendly rims for the reigning national player of the year.
Caitlin Clark is already 0-for-5 from the field, as shot after shot rims out. She’ll settle in, I’m sure. But you can tell she seems … if not frustrated, a little puzzled.
More problematic for Iowa right now though is the Hawkeyes defense though. Nebraska is on a 13-2 run over the last 3:34, and five Huskers have already scored. Nebraska is currently shooting 63% at the first media timeout, while Iowa is at just 18%.
It’s a long game, of course, but one thing is clear early: Nebraska is not intimidated by Clark & Co. in the least.
The Big Ten tournament championship game between Iowa and Nebraska is set to tip off inside Minneapolis' Target Center around noon ET.
The Iowa-Nebraska game will air on CBS.
The Iowa-Nebraska game can be live streamed via Paramount+ or streamed on Fubo.
Here's a breakdown of Clark's scoring this season for the Hawkeyes:
Clark is a senior, but she could have decided to come back next year and be a super senior if she wanted. Because Clark was a freshman during the 2020-21 season, she had a COVID year (basically, that season didn’t count toward anyone’s eligibility).
The NCAA's all-time leading scorer, though, announced this will be her final season of college basketball by declaring for the 2024 WNBA draft.
"While this season is far from over and we have a lot more goals to achieve, it will be my last one at Iowa," Clark wrote on social media. "I am excited to be entering the 2024 WNBA Draft."
Clark is widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick, which is owned by the Indiana Fever. — Jordan Mendoza
After making a controversial dig at Caitlin Clark as she neared the women's all-time NCAA scoring record, Sheryl Swoopes said she spoke to the Iowa star about her comments – thanks to LSU's Angel Reese.
The three-time WNBA Most Valuable Player was on a broadcast for a game between Baylor and Texas Tech, where Swoopes said Reese helped facilitate a conversation between her and Clark.
"A couple of weeks ago, I reached out to Angel and had a really good conversation with Angel over the phone and sent a message to Caitlin. She responded. She and I went back and forth," Swoopes said. "I won’t share what she said, I’ll leave that to her if she wants to share. But I will say, what I said to her was, "I made a mistake in saying it was your fifth year when it is your fourth.'" — Jordan Mendoza
Clark's highest-scoring game was also her record-breaking performance on Feb. 15 against Michigan in the 2023-24 season, when she scored 49 points. Clark shot 16-for-31 that game, including 9-for-18 from 3. She also grabbed five rebounds and handed out 13 assists in the 106-89 win.
Do you love Caitlin Clark or do you LOVE Caitlin Clark?
Love her, hate her, like her or think she’s overrated, one thing is for sure: The senior guard from Iowa has serious game. Not sure exactly where you stand? We can help you out. This USA TODAY Sports quiz will reveal the answer to a crucial question as we prep for March Madness: What kind of Caitlin Clark fan are you? — Lindsay Schnell
Caitlin Clark passed Kelsey Plum on Feb. 15 to become the all-time NCAA Division I women’s leading scorer. Watch the shot here:
She passed Pete Maravich to become the all-time NCAA Division I leading scorer March 3. Watch the shot here:
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