BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Iowa ladies’s basketball suffered its largest margin of defeat this season, falling to Indiana 86-69 at Meeting Corridor on Thursday.
Iowa star Caitlin Clark scored 24 factors. Clark, although, wasn’t very environment friendly, capturing 8-of-26 from the sector and 3-of-16 from deep. Moreover Clark, Kate Martin had 19 factors and Hannah Stuelke had 10. Moreover that trio, no different particular person Hawkeye had greater than six.
As a workforce, Iowa shot 38.8 from the sector.
The discrepancy from the three-point line was a significant factor in Thursday’s end result. Indiana shot 9-of-21 (42.9%) from deep. In the meantime, Iowa shot simply 5-of-28 (17.9%) from lengthy vary.
Indiana’s Sara Scalia had 25 and shot 3-of-8 from deep. Yarden Garzon contributed 15 and went 3-of-5 from deep. Throughout Iowa’s win over Indiana earlier this season, these two mixed for 17 factors on 7-of-19 from the sector
On Thursday, Indiana star Mackenzie Holmes additionally added 24 factors.
However a part of Tuesday’s struggles was additionally the truth that Indiana outmatched Iowa’s depth. The Hoosiers performed with a physicality that Iowa was unable to rival.
This isn’t to understate the problem of pulling out a win in Meeting Corridor. Indiana, although coming off a 20-point highway loss main as much as Thursday, continues to be a very good workforce. And taking part in in such a raucous setting makes the duty much more arduous.
However the extent to which Iowa appeared out of kinds was not encouraging.
Iowa struggled mightily within the first half. Caitlin Clark, who scored 20 of Iowa’s 33 factors, didn’t get a lot assist round her. Indiana shot 40% from deep, whereas Iowa shot simply 21.4%. One other concern was Iowa’s lack of depth. The Hoosiers performed with rather more of an edge than the Hawkeyes.
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Iowa, trailing 44-33 at halftime, confronted a tricky process forward.
Lower than two minutes into the third quarter, Iowa’s deficit ballooned to 16.
The Hawkeyes lastly confirmed some indicators of life, happening a 6-0 run to chop their deficit to 11. However Indiana’s Sydney Parrish answered by hitting threes on back-to-back Hoosier offensive possessions.
Iowa, although, continued to struggle again. On the finish of the third quarter, that they had whittled the deficit to eight factors.
However Indiana shut the door, outscoring Iowa by 9 within the fourth quarter. Within the second and fourth quarters mixed, the Hoosiers outscored the Hawkeyes by 19 factors.
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Iowa’s path to profitable a Massive Ten title — or not less than a share of it — took a serious hit on Tuesday. The Hawkeyes, now 12-3 within the convention, are actually behind Ohio State and Indiana within the Massive Ten standings.
Ohio State is atop the group with a 14-1 convention mark. Indiana, who has performed another Massive Ten recreation than Iowa, is now 13-3 within the convention. Iowa is 12-3.
Iowa doesn’t have plenty of time to surge forward, particularly with Ohio State. The Hawkeyes have three extra video games within the common season: Illinois (house), Minnesota (away) and Ohio State (house). The Buckeyes now management their very own future and might seize an outright Massive Ten championship title by profitable out.
To also have a likelihood at operating the desk, Iowa must win out and get assist elsewhere.
This magnifies a few of Iowa’s collapses earlier this season. The Hawkeyes blew fourth-quarter leads on the highway in opposition to each Ohio State and Nebraska this season. That made their margin for error so small, which got here again to chunk them in a recreation like this, the place dropping in a difficult setting may derail their Massive Ten title probabilities.
In the case of the Massive Ten title race, Thursday is perhaps a blow that Iowa cannot get better from.
Observe Tyler Tachman on X@Tyler_T15, contact through e-mail atttachman@gannett.com