Iowa Women's Basketball gets revenge against #16 K-State, wins the Gulf Coast Showcase

The Kansas State Wildcats have been a thorn in the side of the Iowa women’s basketball team for the last year. The Hawkeyes were upset in Manhattan last November and then the ‘Cats doubled up with another upset win at Carver-Hawkeye Arena ten days ago. 373 days after the first matchup at Bramlage Coliseum, Iowa decided that enough was enough. The Hawkeyes got their revenge and took down Kansas State 77-70 to win the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Florida.

When the two teams met up in Iowa City, it was a struggle offensively for both sides. The Hawkeyes opened tonight’s game with a much different energy on the offensive end and they got off to a fast scoring start. Molly Davis Caitlin Clark combined for 13 points in the first 6.5 minutes of the game, including a deep three-pointer from Clark to give Iowa a 19-8 lead. Caitlin finished with ten points in the opening quarter, but it was her quick dump off to Sharon Goodman for a layup that gave the Hawkeyes a 27-15 lead going into the second quarter.

That’s where Kansas State landed their first punch of the game. A 7-0 run capped off by a Gabby Gregory three-pointer cut the Iowa lead to 29-26 with 5:43 remaining in the half and forced Lisa Bluder to take a timeout. Later in the quarter, back-to-back three-pointers from Jaelyn Glenn and Serena Sundell pulled the ‘Cats even with just over a minute to play in the half. Molly Davis hit a three-pointer of her own on the next possession and Iowa went into the half with a 39-38 lead. The two players that started the game quick, Clark and Davis, combined for 26 of the Hawkeyes 39 first half points. K-State relied on more balanced scoring, with Ayoka Lee leading the way with ten points and six rebounds.

The second half started with both teams trading blows to a 45-45 tie after three minutes. Back-to-back three-pointers from Caitlin Clark gave Iowa a 48-45 lead, while a basket, plus the foul from Addi O’Grady made it a six-point advantage. That was the beginning of 17-4 run by the Hawkeyes that was capped by a pair of three-pointers from Kate Martin to make it 60-49. Iowa went into the fourth quarter with a 63-54 lead.

Once again, Kansas State had a run in them. The Wildcats took advantage of Iowa shooting just 1/11 over the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter. Consecutive possessions with layups and a second chance three-pointer from Gabby Gregory cut the Iowa lead to 67-65. Gisela Sanchez converted a basket, plus the foul on the next possession and all the sudden K-State had a 68-67 lead with 2:44 to play.

The Hawkeyes just made clutch shots down the stretch. A layup from Kate Martin gave Iowa the lead back, while Caitlin Clark capitalized on a defensive stop with a three-pointer to make it 72-68. After a K-State basket, the Hawkeyes took a timeout with 55.9 to play to draw up a play. The ensuing possession got the ball in the hands of, surprise, surprise, Caitlin Clark and she buried a three-pointer to make it 75-70 with 47 seconds to play.

After a 14-2 run to take the lead, Kansas State came up empty on five of their last six possessions. The Hawkeyes were just 2/6 from the free throw line in the final minute, but were able to come away with a thrilling 77-70 victory to capture a Gulf Coast Showcase Title.

Caitlin Clark made big shot after big shot, finishing with 32 points, five rebounds, six assists and seven made three-pointers to lead the Hawkeyes. Molly Davis finished with an Iowa career-high 13 points, four rebounds and four assists, while Kate Martin added 11 points and ten rebounds. Sharon Goodman and Addi O’Grady combined for 14 points and eight rebounds with Hannah Stuelke out of the lineup.

The final stat sheet looks way different that it did less than two weeks ago. Iowa shot 27/64 (42.2%) from the floor and 12/32 (37.5%) from three-point range. They pulled down 35 of 39 (89.7%) of defensive rebounds and allowed just five second chance points. In the first matchup, Iowa turned it over 16 times, which led to 14 points for KSU. Tonight, the Hawkeyes turned it over just six times and won the points off turnover battle 9-7. They held the advantage in all of the important stats and were able to pick up that elusive win over K-State.

Caitlin Clark and Molly Davis both were selected to the Gulf Coast Showcase All-Tournament Team, while Clark was named Tournament MVP. Molly Davis finished the tournament with 33 points, 13 rebounds and 14 assists over three games. Clark was electric all weekend, finishing with 82 points, 14 rebounds, 20 assists and 17 made three-pointers.

Up Next, the Hawkeyes will return to Iowa City for a matchup against the Bowling Green Falcons on Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tipoff is set for 12:30pm CT and the game will be televised on FS1.