Playing in another packed arena that usually isn’t, Iowa women’s basketball gave the home crowd about a quarter and change of thinking Friday’s affair could turn extra memorable.
Then it was time to take care of business.
Buoyed by an emphatic second quarter and Caitlin Clark’s 14th career triple double, the No. 3 Hawkeyes zoomed by Rutgers for a 103-69 win at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, New Jersey. Iowa (15-1, 4-0 Big Ten Conference) looked like its usual self against the overmatched Scarlet Knights (6-11, 0-4).
While the Hawkeyes’ buzzer-beating win Tuesday over Michigan State will likely finish as a productive scare, messing around with Rutgers would take any concerns to a different level — even with the Scarlet Knights having their first advance sellout for women’s basketball since 2006. This was a layup Iowa needed to nail.
An emphatic second quarter oozing versatility did the trick.
The Hawkeyes exited the first 10 minutes with a modest six-point advantage. They entered halftime with a robust 55-30 cushion. Seven different Hawkeyes scored in the quarter as Iowa surged into the locker room on an 18-4 run, with Clark only contributing two of those points.
The women’s basketball superstar always finds hers, though. And she did with another absurd stat line that’s become routine: 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists on 10-for-22 shooting. Clark glided all over the court in her neon green Grinches until checking out with six minutes remaining, giving those out east a front-row seat to the show they’ve been yearning.
Encouraging developments materialized elsewhere. Gabbie Marshall’s four treys, two which arrived on Iowa’s first-half finishing run, marked the first time in more than a month she’s hit from deep in consecutive games. Marshall finished with 12 points, one of five Hawkeyes to reach double figures.
Along with 10 points apiece from Hannah Stuelke and Sydney Affolter, Friday was Kate Martin’s turn to elevate as well. The veteran guard delivered an impressive 17 points and seven rebounds. Martin has now put up double-digit scoring figures in 10 of Iowa’s last 12 games.
Already down leading scorer Kaylene Smikle with a health issue, it didn’t get any better for Rutgers after Destiny Adams picked up three first-half fouls to render her ineffective. The Hawkeyes didn’t budge out deep either, forcing Rutgers to take xxx treys with only xxx makes. The Scarlet Knights, which entered averaging 16 3-pointers taken per game, had no luck keeping up.
Iowa returns to action Wednesday at Purdue.
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.