Coming off a loss to No. 2 Indiana on the road, the No. 5 Iowa Hawkeyes came back home to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the first of their final three home games of the season. With a Big Ten title hanging in the balance and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament up for grabs, the Hawkeyes know that every game from this point on is a must-win regardless of who they’re playing.
Right from the start, they wasted no time and got out running. An opening layup by Kate Martin, a three from Caitlin Clark and two free throws by Monika Czinano gave them a 7-0 lead.
But as the quarter reached the halfway point, the Scarlet Knights were playing with more reckless abandon than most had anticipated. They would go on a 7-2 run before coming within a basket at 9-7. All seven of those points were scored by freshman guard Kaylene Smikle.
It was a back-and-forth battle with Iowa holding on to to a slight lead, but the Rutgers defense working tirelessly to try to stifle the Hawkeyes’ highly explosive offense with added pressure and double-teaming Clark at the top of the key every chance they got. With 4:43 left in the first, the Hawkeyes led 12-10.
After a full time out, Clark would delegate as only she can. She would find Hannah Stuelke underneath the basket on a fast break for…
