Caitlin Clark's triple-double leads No. 4 Iowa over Loyola Chicago 98-69
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark celebrates after making a basket during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Loyola of Chicago, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, in Iowa City, Iowa. Iowa won 98-69. Credit: AP/Charlie Neibergall
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Caitlin Clark scored 35 points on the way to the 13th triple-double of her career as No. 4 Iowa recovered from a slow start to defeat Loyola Chicago 98-69 on Thursday night.
Clark, the nation’s leader in scoring and assists, had a career-high 17 rebounds to go with 10 assists. Clark, who has had 30 or more points in six games this season, was 12 of 21 from the field, making 4 of 12 3-pointers.
The last assist came on Jada Gyamfi's layup with 2:51 left that gave Iowa a 94-69 lead. Iowa coach Lisa Bluder immediately called a timeout to get Clark out of the game.
“I knew we were going to make some bunnies,” Clark said when asked if she was concerned she wouldn't get that last assist before coming out. “Ten assists is all because of my teammates. I'm thankful for them, and for Coach Bluder for allowing me to get (the triple-double). It's always cool when you get one of those.”
Loyola coach Allison Guth said there was no elaborate defense the Ramblers were going to come up with to try to slow Clark.
“She's really hard to play against,” Guth said. “Her range is insane. I've seen teams try to box-and-one her, send two players at her. And she can do it all. We were going to stay pretty pragmatic to what we did, and try to slow them down with our pressure. Once they lit that up, it hurt us defensively.”
Hannah Stuelke had 20 points for Iowa (12-1). Kate Martin had 19, and Sydney Affolter had 10.
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark reacts after getting fouled during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Loyola of Chicago , Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, in Iowa City, Iowa. Credit: AP/Charlie Neibergall
Iowa trailed by as much as seven points in the first half before closing with an 8-2 run to lead 51-46 at halftime.
The Hawkeyes, who won their ninth consecutive game, took control with a 19-3 run in the third quarter. Iowa held Loyola (6-5) to just five field goals in the quarter.
“The second half, we were much more locked in on defense,” Clark said.
Iowa's zone defense controlled the Ramblers in the second half.
Iowa forward Hannah Stuelke (45) grabs a rebound during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Loyola of Chicago , Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, in Iowa City, Iowa. Credit: AP/Charlie Neibergall
“We tried to make some adjustments in the second half, take advantage of some of the things we saw,” Guth said. “We just got stagnant with the ball. We liked the way we were making it hop in the first half.”
Emma Nolan led Loyola with 15 points. Sam Galanopoulos had 14.
“Our defense wasn't very good at the beginning of the game, but got a lot better in the second half,” Bluder said. “Loyola shot the ball extremely well (in the first half) — too well — and that's on us.”
BIG PICTURE
Loyola: The Ramblers came in with a four-game winning streak and controlled the game for most of the first half against the Hawkeyes. The shots they hit in the first half, though, didn’t fall in the second half — Loyola shot just 26.7% in the half.
Iowa: The Hawkeyes definitely missed Gabbie Marshall, the team’s best defender, who missed the game because of illness. It showed in the first half as the Ramblers hit four 3-pointers and constantly beat the Hawkeyes down court. “We're always a work in progress,” Bluder said. “I feel like we're good right now, but I think we can get a lot better.”
UP NEXT
Loyola: At St. Bonaventure on Dec. 30.
Iowa: The Hawkeyes get back into Big Ten play with a home game against Minnesota on Dec. 30.
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