It was more of a grind than anticipated, but a second half surge propelled the No. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes (3-0) to a dominating 94-53 victory on the road against the Northern Iowa Panthers (1-1) before a sold out crowd. Not only that, but history was made. Iowa also is on the cusp of potentially securing the sacred position of the No. 1 team in the nation.
By far the superior team, the Hawkeyes’ expected dominance was hampered in the first half by a pressure packed Panther defense and some questionable officiating that disrupted the flow of play; over 50 fouls would be called in the game. Plus, Iowa started off cold from the 3-point line—at one point converting only 18.2 percent—and had to generate points inside the arc and at the foul line.
Still, the Hawkeyes held onto a double figures lead throughout the first half.
In the second half, the Hawkeyes poured it on, outscoring the Panthers 54-28 and shooting considerably better from all spots on the court.
Caitlin Clark did what she does best—and then some. She notched her first triple-double of the season with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. She also surpassed Megan Gustafson to become the all time leading scorer in Iowa women’s basketball history.
It is something Clark savors because she gets to achieve…
