No. 3 Iowa had a bit of a scare on Thursday against a persistent eighth-ranked Virginia Tech team, but the Hawkeyes walked away with an 80-76 victory behind a 44-point performance by star Caitlin Clark.
There was never any doubt that Iowa, fresh off its first-ever NCAA Championship Game appearance, was going to be a good team this season. However, playing a Top 10 opponent, especially one as experienced and talented as Virginia Tech, is never easy. Thursday's game was a good test for both squads, and they got to do it in front of a crowd of 15,196 -- the largest crowd for a women's basketball game in North Carolina -- as part of the Ally Tipoff in Charlotte.
Here are some takeaways for Iowa:
Caitlin Clark keeps dominating
In the words of NBA legend Dwyane Wade, "Caitlin Clark is simply good at basketball! That's all…"
Clark put up historic numbers last season and it seems like she is not slowing down anytime soon. The senior guard registered her 38th career game with 30-plus points on Thursday. That ties Kelsey Plum's record for the most 30-point games in the last 25 years.
She struggled early in the game, going 6-for-15 from the field -- including 1-of-7 from beyond the arc -- during the first half. However, she was still the only double-digit scorer on her team with 18 points, which helped Iowa find a 33-32 lead at the break. Clark turned up the heat and went on to finish the night with 44 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Even on a night when she wasn't shooting her best, she made sure she helped her team with points any way she could and managed to get a total of 17 free throws.
After the game, Clark said it wasn't "the prettiest win" but she was proud of her team's effort. All she cared about was Iowa winning, but she also knows what she wants to improve on.
"I think we could've ran our transition offense a little better tonight," she said after the game. "I think we could've ran the secondary offense a little better tonight. At times it wasn't very clean. That's on me, that's on the point guard."
Hannah Stuekle could be a good offensive weapon
What made Iowa the top offensive team in the nation last season was Clark being a consistent scorer, but also the fact that she led the nation in assists because she had other scorers around her. The dynamic of this team changed this season because Clark no longer counts with Monika Czinano and McKenna Warnock, but there are signs that Iowa will be just fine.
Even though Clark scored more than half of Iowa's points against Virginia Tech, there were some other players who are showing potential for bigger games later this season, and one of them is Hannah Stuekle.
The 2023 Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year averaged 6.5 points in about 12 per game her freshman year, but now she is ready to take on the next step. On Thursday, Stuelke registered 12 points going 6-of-8 from the field, and it's important to point out the sophomore forward was only on the floor for 17 minutes because she fouled out. Her shooting against the Hokies proved that her game against FDU earlier this week, when she went 9-of-10 and got 22 points, was a preview of what she can do this year.
Stats don't show everything, particularly on defense
Offense is usually the main talking point when it comes to Iowa, but great teams play well on both sides of the ball. What fifth-year guard Gabbie Marshall did on Thursday didn't show up on the stat sheet but it certainly helped the Hawkeyes win. Marshall was scoreless as she went 0-of-6 from beyond the arc, but she put a lot of effort into defending Virginia Tech star Georgia Amoore.
Amoore reached a career-high 31 points on 10-of-23 shooting, and she also registered a career-best seven 3-pointers. But she had to go 7-of-14 from 3-point range, and 50% is 1) unrealistic for every game and 2) significantly better than her 34.5% from last year (even though she did break an NCAA Tournament record). In other words, Amoore had a fantastic game and could've easily won it for the Hokies, even if her costar Elizabeth Kitley had a more quiet night with 16 points.
Marshall only allowed Amoore to go 1-of-4 from the field in the third quarter, when the Hawkeyes were finding momentum and trying to pull away. Marshall, known as a defensive specialist, had to spend 38 minutes on the court despite not contributing with points. Fans on social media jumped in to support her and her role on the team. Even Clark had to give her teammate a shoutout during her postgame interview.
"She had to guard one of the best guards in the country," Clark said on the broadcast. "She worked her butt off and I'm so proud of her."
Next up, Iowa will be taking on the Northern Iowa Panthers on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.
