The No. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes survived a tough test against No. 8 Virginia Tech with a 80-76 win Thursday in the Ally Tipoff in Charlotte. These two powerhouses drew an announced attendance of 15,196 — the largest ever to attend a women’s regular-season game in North Carolina.
The game started very even with neither team being able to pull away. Iowa star Caitlin Clark had a “quiet” first half with 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field. The Hawkeyes (2-0) were the top offensive team in the nation last season, but the dynamic looked different early in the game without Monika Czinano and McKenna Warnock.
Even though Iowa wasn’t perfect, Clark is always reliable and eventually took control. She finished the night with 44 points, eight rebounds and six assists. This was her 38th career game with 30-plus points, tying Kelsey Plum for the most 30-point games in the last 25 years.
“I don’t really care how I shoot the ball at the end of the day as long was we win and as…
