Caitlin Clark scored 27 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished 10 assists to lead No. 1 seed Iowa to a 91-65 win over Holy Cross in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Tournament on Saturday afternoon in Iowa City.
Kate Martin added 15 points and 14 rebounds for Iowa (30-4), which has not lost since Feb. 23. Addison O’Grady finished with 14 points on 7-for-9 shooting.
Bronagh Power-Cassidy scored 19 points to lead No. 16 seed Holy Cross (21-13). Janelle Allen scored 18 points and Cara McCormack chipped in 11.
The Hawkeyes advanced to the second round of the tournament, where they will play the winner of Saturday evening’s game between No. 8 seed West Virginia and No. 9 Princeton.
Clark shot 8 of 19 from the field, 3 of 9 from beyond the arc and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line. She added three steals and a blocked shot.
“I was a little frustrated, but I feel like that comes from knowing what it takes to be where we want to be,” Clark said about her struggles early in the game. “I definitely could have smiled a little bit more, but hey, I’m competitive. I want to win, and I expect us to be really good all the time.”
Iowa shot 46.3 percent (31 of 67) overall and 31.3 percent (10 of 32) from beyond the arc. Holy Cross shot 32.4 percent (22 of 68) from the field and 20.6 percent (7 of 34) from long distance.
Holy Cross led 11-10 with 5:08 remaining in the first quarter after Power-Cassidy made a 3-pointer off an assist from Kaitlyn Flanagan. That marked the Crusaders’ final lead of the game as Iowa gradually took control.
A dominant second quarter helped Iowa put the game out of reach. The Hawkeyes outscored Holy Cross 25-9 in the period to grab a 48-30 halftime lead.
“From here on out, every single team is going to give us a really good game,” Clark said. “Every single team is basically a Top 25 team at this point, and that’s what makes March so fun.”
Iowa opened the second quarter on an 8-0 run. Martin made a 3-pointer, Clark added two free throws and Gabbie Marshall drained a 3-pointer to give the Hawkeyes a double-digit lead at 31-21 with 7:08 left in the quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Iowa increased its lead to as many as 31 points. Sydney Affolter made a layup to give the Hawkeyes an 84-53 lead with 4:23 to go.
No. 8 West Virginia 63, No. 9 Princeton 53
JJ Quinerly scored 29 points on 10-for-19 shooting, and West Virginia pulled away to beat Princeton in Iowa City, Iowa.
Jordan Harrison added 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting for West Virginia (25-7), which finished tied for fourth in the Big 12 Conference during the regular season. Kylee Blacksten chipped in 10 points.
Madison St. Rose scored 22 points to lead Princeton (25-5), which won the Ivy League but had its season come to an abrupt ending in the tourney. Kaitlyn Chen contributed 17 points for the Tigers.
West Virginia advanced to play No. 1 seed Iowa on Monday in Iowa City.
West Virginia shot 52.5 percent (21 of 40) from the field and 33.3 percent (3 of 9) from 3-point range in Saturday’s win. Princeton shot 33.3 percent (17 of 51) overall and 28.6 percent (6 of 21) from beyond the arc.
No. 2 UCLA 84, No. 15 California Baptist 55
Kiki Rice scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and the Bruins sprinted past the Lancers in Los Angeles.
Charisma Osborne registered a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds for UCLA (26-6). Gabriela Jaquez scored 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting, and Londynn Jones chipped in 12 points.
UCLA advances to play No. 7 seed Creighton on Monday in the tourney’s second round.
Kinsley Barrington scored 16 points to lead California Baptist (28-4). Nae Nae Calhoun added 12 points for the Lancers, who lost their first game since Feb. 15 against Utah Valley.
UCLA dominated the glass and finished with a 50-30 edge in rebounds.
No. 7 Creighton 87, No. 10 UNLV 73
Lauren Jensen scored 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and the Bluejays cruised past the Rebels in Los Angeles.
Emma Ronsiek added 23 points on 9-for-18 shooting for Creighton (26-5). Morgan Maly finished with 16 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Desi-Rae Young scored 30 points on 15-for-19 shooting to lead UNLV (30-3). Kiara Jackson added 16 points, six assists and five rebounds for the Running Rebels, who lost for the first time since Jan. 20 against New Mexico.
Creighton pulled away in large part because of its success from beyond the arc. The Bluejays made 15 of 34 shots from 3-point range, while UNLV made 5 of 20 shots.
–Field Level Media