With her 15th triple-double, Caitlin Clark helps No. 3 Iowa women’s basketball defeat Purdue.
Nestled within an electrifying Mackey Arena that yearned for an electrifying upset, the third-ranked Hawkeyes (16-1, 5-0 Big Ten) skillfully maneuvered through many trap-game components, relying heavily on a downtown assault that had numerous contributors. Oh, and Caitlin Clark made an appearance as well, contributing her 15th career triple-double and more highlights. Purdue (9-6, 2-2 Big Ten) received little more than a blank stare.
All of that resulted in an Iowa victory of 96–71, marking the Hawkeyes’ 13th straight victory and their second straight convincing road win. Iowa is the ideal place to get away from Carver-Hawkeye Arena, even with all the love it receives, all the while managing the road noise that comes at every stop.
On Wednesday, nothing changed; the onus was on Clark and Iowa to extinguish all the energy in the adversarial arena. A trey-heavy first quarter gave the Hawkeyes a clear indication that they weren’t going to play around.
Clark, who ended with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, remarked, “It was a great win for us.” “I don’t believe the audience had any kind of impact on us. They were excellent. I’m glad for Purdue; that’s good news. The supporters were quite active. However, I felt that our group was quite mature. We never allowed that to impact us right away. A strong victory for our team.”
Iowa scored seven 3-pointers in the first ten minutes of play as part of a 15-for-33 effort from downtown to take a number of double-digit leads. Less than three minutes into the second quarter, Molly Davis made a long-range jump shot that put a trey on the record for every Iowa guard.
Clark was not going to miss the far-off celebration, of course. Usually she’s the one hosting, but this one was really raucous. After making her first two 3-pointers, the Iowa star was on her way to another memorable night. She finished 6-for-14 deep to lead yet another ridiculous stat line that has become the standard.
Not even close to her most amazing heave. Just before the half, with time nearly out and Purdue’s Jayla Smith covering hard, Clark seemed to get a shooting foul when he attempted a jump shot from just short of half court. The ploy was clever enough, and her shot found its mark. Mackey Arena, in disbelief, realized they had just watched more magic.
Following a formal huddle, it was decided that Clark was not shooting, and as a result, he was not eligible for any of the perks. Clark had to be calmed down by Kate Martin for the entire event to be over for him. Midway through the third quarter, No. 22’s only answer was to make two fast three-pointers after the break, which helped increase Iowa’s lead to 20 points.
“I just kind of heaved it up there because I knew they were going to intentionally foul,” a sardonic Clark remarked, grinning. “They concluded the first quarter in such manner. To be honest, I didn’t even witness it enter. By then, I had turned around, but my main goal was still to make the three free throws. It doesn’t really matter that I haven’t seen the replay. It just reeks.”
Martin, who is a sixth-year senior, continues to have a prolific season, scoring 15 points and pulling down eight rebounds. With 14 points and two three-pointers, Sydney Affolter earned the gold star while playing off the bench. With four 3-pointers made in eight attempts, Gabbie Marshall put together another successful performance. To finish the night, Hannah Stuelke collected ten more points.
“Seeing five players in double figures, you like to see balanced scoring every game,” Martin commented. “I think that just shows we were taking smart shots.”
Although Wednesday’s victory won’t make headlines or change the numbers, it does demonstrate that the Hawkeyes’ concentration stays sharp even in unfavorable situations. In that sense, more demanding exams are on the horizon. Iowa’s capacity to make the most of this limited resource sets the stage for handling future challenges.