Sydney Affolter enters Iowa starting lineup and responds with career-high 18 points
Is a March moment in store for Sydney Affolter? The Iowa junior got her fourth career start in place of the injured Molly Davis and responded with a career-high 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
Game highlights: Iowa 95, Penn State 62
One down: Iowa routs Penn State
The third-ranked Hawkeyes scored the first 10 points, led by 18 at the end of the first quarter and coasted past Penn State, 95-62, in a Big Ten tournament quarterfinal Friday evening at Target Center.
Final: Iowa 95, Penn State 62
An off shooting night for Caitlin Clark (5-for-19) but she still totals a game-high 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists as the Hawkeyes cruise to the Big Ten tournament semifinals.
Iowa will play Indiana or Michigan at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Iowa 89, Penn State 58 (3:04 4th)
Timeout Penn State after another McCabe 3. Caitlin Clark went over the 20-point threshold again; she has 22 on 5-for-19 shooting (10-of-11 from the line).
Sydney Affolter has a career-high 18 points. She's 5-for-9 from the floor and has hit three 3-pointers, plus has six rebounds and four assists.
Nice addition to the starting lineup in Molly Davis' absence.
Iowa 72, Penn State 49 (6:58 4th)
Gabbie Marshall with a pump-fake and drive into the lane for a 2-point jumper. She's up to 12 points. Timeout Penn State.
Caitlin Clark hits her first 3 at the 8:39 mark of the fourth quarter, sticks out her tongue and holds her hands up to the crowd, which gives her a standing ovation.
She's 1-for-12 from deep ... and the Hawkeyes lead 70-48.
CAITLIN 👏 CLARK 👏 @CaitlinClark22 x @IowaWBB pic.twitter.com/BX08zn7Ne4
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 9, 2024
End 3Q: Iowa 65, Penn State 48
Penn State outscored the Hawkeyes 22-19 in that quarter.
Iowa 65, Penn State 46 (1:46 3rd)
Timeout Penn State. Iowa role players playing big roles: Affolter 13 points, Marshall 10, McCabe 6, Feuerbach 5.
Make that back-to-back 3s for McCabe. It's 60-41.
Taylor McCabe corner 3 out of the timeout ends the Iowa drought. 57-41.
Iowa has missed its last eight shots, Penn State on a 7-0 run to get within 13.
Iowa 54, Penn State 41 (5:15 3rd)
Timeout Hawkeyes. They're 3-for-11 from the field in the second half.
Half: Iowa 46, Penn State 26
Caitlin Clark and Sydney Affolter both have 10 points for the Hawkeyes, though Clark is just 1-for-8 from the field. Clark also has team-highs with six rebounds and five assists.
The Hawkeyes are 19-for-22 from the free-throw line.
Ashley Owusu has 11 points for Penn State.
Make than an 11-0 run. It's 44-24 Iowa, 1:29 2nd.
Iowa on a 9-0 run, its fourth run of at least seven already.
The incredible Gabbie Marshall. 🤩
— Big Ten Women's Basketball (@B1Gwbball) March 9, 2024
She does it again. #B1GWBBT x @IowaWBB pic.twitter.com/7e0m9eZGG8
4:14 2nd: Iowa 33, Penn State 23
Ashley Owusu can cut it to single digits with a free throw after the media timeout.
A Caitlin Clark jumper ends a 5-plus minute scoring drought for Iowa. 33-19 Hawkeyes.
Iowa still hasn't scored in the second quarter, almost five minutes in. 31-19 Hawkeyes.
Penn State on a 6-0 run to start the second quarter.
End 1Q: Iowa 31, Penn State 13
Caitlin Clark has 4 points and is 0-for-3 from the field ... and the Hawkeyes lead by 18.
Sydney Affolter leads the Hawkeyes with 8 points.
Iowa has already attempted 16 free throws (and made 13).
Captain Kate 💪@kate_martin22 x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/CBoPRkfQQl
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 9, 2024
Iowa 19, Penn State 5 (4:23 1st)
The Kylie Feuerbach minute: She tipped an outlet pass that Gabbie Marshall collects for a 3, then hits a 3 on a feed from Clark on the next trip.
Gabbie "March" Marshall. 👀
— Big Ten Women's Basketball (@B1Gwbball) March 8, 2024
She's shooting the lights out. #B1GWBBT x @IowaWBB pic.twitter.com/kI23t2i6Ck
Iowa 13, Penn State 5 (5:40 1st)
Five straight for Penn State out of the timeout, but Iowa pushes after a make and gets a three-point play from Sydney Affolter.
Iowa 10, Penn State 0 (6:33 1st)
Caitlin Clark hasn't even scored yet. Timeout Nittany Lions.
Penn State has missed its first six shots. Iowa up 8-0.
Kate Martin triple-double watch: 3-4-1.
Sydney Affolter for 3 on Iowa's second possession after a couple O-boards. Already 6-0.
Kate Martin drills a 3 on the first possession of the game.
About 98-percent pro-Iowa, and that's not an exaggeration.
New Iowa AD Beth Goetz in attendance tonight.
Starting lineups
PENN STATE:
0 Ashley Owusu SR+
1 Ali Brigham SR
4 Shay Ciezki SO
5 Leilani Kapinus JR
20 Makenna Marisa SR+
IOWA:
3 Sydney Affolter JR
20 Kate Martin SR+
22 Caitlin Clark SR
24 Gabbie Marshall SR+
45 Hannah Stuelke SO
Injury update
Molly Davis is on crutches after leaving last week's regular-season game against Ohio State with a knee injury.
Doors are open at Target Center
I was blown away at the line to get in for last year's Big Ten women's basketball tournament championship game. And it doesn't even compare to this year's for a quarterfinal game. Sold out and it sure looks like most seats will be filled.
Iowa vs. Penn State pregame notes
• Penn State beat Wisconsin 80-56 in a second-round game Thursday.
• Iowa finished 15-3 in the Big Ten and is the 2-seed in the tournament. Penn State was 9-9 in conference play and is the 7-seed.
• Iowa is seeking its third consecutive Big Ten tournament championship, its fourth in six years, its sixth overall. Penn State won the first two tournament titles (1995 and 1996).
• The Hawkeyes outscored Penn State, 111-93, Feb. 8 at Iowa City behind Hannah Stuelke’s 47 points. Iowa has beaten Penn State nine straight times. In the last six meetings, the Hawkeyes are averaging 102.8 points per game.
• Iowa’s Caitlin Clark was chosen as the Big Ten player of the year for the third year in a row. This time, she was a unanimous choice. Clark averages 32.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game. Stuelke (14.4 ppg) and Kate Martin (13.0 ppg) were all-Big Ten second-team selections.
• Penn State’s Ashley Owusu was a second-team pick by the coaches; teammate Makenna Marisa earned second-team honors from the media. Owusu was the most outstanding player of the 2020 Big Ten tournament, for Maryland.
How to watch Iowa vs. Penn State in the Big Ten tournament
When/where: 5:30 p.m. Friday, Target Center, Minneapolis
TV: BTN
Live stream: FoxSports.com or Fox Sports app
