Game highlights: Iowa 91, Holy Cross 65
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Migraine keeps Hannah Stuelke out of the second half of Iowa’s win
The Hawkeyes’ second-leading scorer and an all-Big Ten second-teamer, Hannah Stuelke confirmed after Saturday's that she was suffering from “probably” a migraine and didn't play in the second half.
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Final: West Virginia 63, Princeton 53
Iowa (30-4) vs. West Virginia (25-7) at 7 p.m. Monday (ESPN).
Winner to the Sweet 16.
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Hawkeyes 'knock the rust off,' knock Holy Cross out
A 10-0 gem of a run late in the first quarter sprung Iowa out of a small early hole, and the second-ranked Hawkeyes subdued Holy Cross, 91-65, in the first round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament before a sellout crowd of 14,324 Saturday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
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A good preliminary done, the real NCAA tourney starts Monday for Iowa
Holy Cross, to its eternal credit, didn’t bend the knee to Caitlin Clark or Iowa. But 16th-seeds don’t win games like this, so the Hawkeyes immediately move on to tougher obstacles.
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Players clarify intentional foul was accidental
Holly Cross' Bronagh Power-Cassidy was called for an intentional foul in Saturday's NCAA tournament game for elbowing Iowa star Caitlin Clark in the face, but both players said after the game it was accidental and laughed it off.
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Hannah Stuelke update
She said she missed the second half with a headache, maybe a migraine.
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Watch live: Postgame press conferences
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Final: Iowa 91, Holy Cross 65
The Hawkeyes (30-4) will play the West Virginia-Princeton winner in the second round at 7 p.m. Monday.
Caitlin Clark finishes with 27 points on 8-for-19 shooting, eight rebounds, 10 assists and three steals. Kate Martin had 15 points and 11 rebounds. Addi O'Grady had 14 points off the bench.
Bronagh Power-Cassidy led the Crusaders (21-13) with 19 points. Janelle Allen had 18.
"I thought (Holy Cross) made a lot of shots, I thought they competed really well. Gotta give credit to them," Clark told the ABC broadcast after the game. "I don't know that we really played our best basketball. Obviously a little rust. I thought we could have just executed our offense a little better. They really compacted the paint, but I thought we responded really well. We always had an answer. Obviously we played without Hannah for a half. I thought Addi (O'Grady) was good. I thought A.J. (Ediger) came in and gave good minutes.
"We missed a few shots that we normally make, but overall all that matters at this point in the season is that you win and that's what we did."
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Iowa 84, Holy Cross 61 (3:14 4th)
A quick 8-0 Holy Cross run and the Crusaders are ready to sub out their starters.
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Iowa 77, Holy Cross 50 (7:58 4th)
Timeout Holy Cross.
Iowa's Addi O'Grady is 6-for-8 from the field and has a season-high 12 points off the bench, four away from her career high.
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Iowa 75, Holy Cross 50 (8:18 4th)
Back-to-back steals and layups for Caitlin Clark, now up to 25 points on 7-for-17 shooting.
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End 3rd: Iowa 71, Holy Cross 50
Kate Martin has a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
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Hannah Stuelke hasn't scored
I think we've seen the last of Stuelke today, and no, I don't know why.
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Iowa 68, Holy Cross 46 (3:02 3rd)
It certainly hasn't been a good shooting day for Caitlin Clark, but she's still approaching a triple-double with 21 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.
Kate Martin with a big block going into the media timeout.
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Iowa 63, Holy Cross 41 (5:22 3rd)
Caitlin Clark's stepback 3 gives her 16 points, then she gets a steal on the other end and calls timeout after getting caught in traffic at the basket.
Iowa is 9-for-20 from 3-point range.
.@CaitlinClark22 doin' her thing 👌🔥#MarchMadness x 🎥 ABC / @IowaWBB pic.twitter.com/tXn5FceoPU
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 23, 2024 -
Iowa 58, Holy Cross 41 (6:18 3rd)
Addi O'Grady is up to 10 points for the Hawkeyes. She started the second half in place of Hannah Stuelke.
Caitlin Clark just picked up her third foul on a Simone Foreman three-point play.
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Iowa 53, Holy Cross 36 (7:30 3rd)
Holy Cross scored the first four points of the second half. Iowa responded with five straight, on a three-point play from Kate Martin and Sydney Affolter putback.
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Half: Iowa 48, Holy Cross 30
Iowa outscored the Crusaders 25-9 in the second quarter a shaky opening 10 minutes.
"It took us, I think, a good quarter to get our offense flowing and kind of remembering what we're looking for," Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder told the ABC broadcast. "We did some nice things in the second quarter offensively, though. Some nice give-and-go cuts."
Caitlin Clark has 13 points, but is 2-for-8 from the field. She has seven assists and six turnovers.
"I wish she wouldn't be frustrated," Bluder told ABC. "We love the assists. I mean, we want her to pass the ball. She's one of the best in the country. Let's showcase that today."
Kate Martin has 11 points and nine rebounds.
Bronagh Power-Cassidy leads the Crusaders with 17 points, 14 coming in the first quarter.
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Iowa 44, Holy Cross 27 (2:17 2nd)
It's a 13-3 Iowa run over the last 3 1/2 minutes. Caitlin Clark buried a stepback 3 — her first triple of the game — after the timeout and just hit Taylor McCabe for a transition 3 that pushed the lead to 17.
Bronagh Power-Cassidy (17 points) has three fouls for Holy Cross but is staying in the game.
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Iowa 38, Holy Cross 24 (4:29 2nd)
It's 15-3 Iowa in the second quarter. Sydney Affolter hit a corner 3 to push the lead to double digits, then Caitlin Clark hit Addi O'Grady with a wraparound pass for a transition layup.
Timeout Holy Cross.
Beautiful Basketball 👌@kate_martin22 x @sydneyaffolter1
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 23, 2024
📺 ABC x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/C0VGkXP8Sq -
Iowa 31, Holy Cross 21 (6:41 2nd)
Iowa starts the second quarter on an 8-0 run. Gabbie Marshall's wing 3 on an inbounds feed gives her nine points and the Hawkeyes a 10-point lead.
Meanwhile, Hannah Stuelke picks up her second foul.
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Iowa 28, Holy Cross 21 (7:57 2nd)
Iowa's Kate Martin is down on the floor and grabbing the back of her head. She got up and walked off the floor with a trainer. On replay, looks like she hit her head on the floor after falling in the lane.
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Iowa 28, Holy Cross 21 (8:50 2nd)
Bronagh Power-Cassidy is called for an intentional foul after review for elbowing Caitlin Clark in the face. Power-Cassidy was trying to cut to the basket and ran into Clark; that type of contact is always going to get elevated to more than a common foul.
Clark hit both free throws.
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Iowa 26, Holy Cross 21 (9:20 2nd)
Kate Martin opens the second quarter with a corner 3 on a feed from Caitlin Clark. Martin has eight points.
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End 1st: Iowa 23, Holy Cross 21
Bronagh Power-Cassidy hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut Iowa's lead to two. Caitlin Clark answered with a three-point play on a shot through traffic in the lane, then Power-Cassidy drilled another trey at the buzzer.
Power-Cassidy was 4-for-6 from deep in the first quarter.
Caitlin Clark had five points on 1-for-3 shooting and five turnovers in the opening 10 minutes.
(16) Holy Cross within 2 points of (1) Iowa after one quarter of play!@HCrossWBB @Iowawbb
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 23, 2024
You can catch this game live on TSN 1#MarchMadness #WBB pic.twitter.com/ZFe5UxlXmm -
Iowa 18, Holy Cross 11 (2:51 1st)
It's an 8-0 run for the Hawkeyes with only two starters (Martin and Marshall on the floor). Addi O'Grady's transition layup on a feed from Marshall leads to a Holy Cross timeout.
Points in transition 👏@GabbieMarshall x @addiogrady22
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 23, 2024
📺 ABC x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/TlGB01nKIg -
Iowa 14, Holy Cross 11 (3:52 1st)
Kate Martin connects on a 3 from the top of the key to put the Hawkeyes back in front.
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Holy Cross 11, Iowa 10 (4:38 1st)
Media timeout.
Bronagh Power-Cassidy gives the Crusaders the lead. Caitlin Clark has two points and four turnovers.
The Crusaders came to play 👀🔥#MarchMadness x 🎥 ABC / @HCrossWBB pic.twitter.com/QCNEsLDjik
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 23, 2024 -
Iowa 8, Holy Cross 6 (5:58 1st)
A corner 3 from Gabbie Marshall restores Iowa's lead. She has six points early.
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Holy Cross 6, Iowa 5 (6:29 1st)
Six straight for Holy Cross. Janelle Allen's spin and layup gives the Crusaders their first lead.
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Iowa 5, Holy Cross 2 (8:25 1st)
Janelle Allen scores Holy Cross' first points with a shot in the lane.
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Iowa 5, Holy Cross 0 (8:48 1st)
Caitlin Clark's first points of the game come from the free-throw line.
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Iowa 3, Holy Cross 0 (9:15 1st)
After a Caitlin Clark turnover on the opening possession, Clark hits an open Gabbie Marshall for the first points of the game.
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Iowa starters
22 Caitlin Clark (6-0 sr.)
24 Gabbie Marshall (5-9 sr.)
20 Kate Martin (6-0 sr.)
3 Sydney Affolter (5-11 jr.)
45 Hannah Stuelke (6-2 soph.)
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Holy Cross starters
5 Kaitlyn Flanagan (5-8 soph.)
13 Bronagh Power-Cassidy (5-10 soph.)
10 Janelle Allen (5-11 sr.)
0 Callie Wright (6-1 sr.)
15 Cara McCormack (5-3 sr.)
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Preview: Iowa begins its NCAA road Saturday at home
The wide-eyed, 16-seed Holy Cross Crusaders get their view at women’s basketball royalty when they tackle No. 2 Iowa in an NCAA tournament first-round game Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
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Iowa vs. Holy Cross game notes
• Saturday’s game will be Iowa’s first in 13 days (the Hawkeyes beat Nebraska in overtime in the Big Ten championship game March 10 at Minneapolis).
• Holy Cross whipped Tennessee-Martin, 72-45, in a First Four game Thursday night at Carver. The Crusaders got out to a 45-24 lead by halftime and cruised behind 12 3-pointers. Cara McCormick hit 7-of-10 3-pointers in that game and led all scorers with 23 points.
• Bronagh Power-Cassidy leads Holy Cross at 16.7 points per game. The Crusaders won the Patriot League regular-season championship (with an 11-7 league mark), then followed that with the league tournament title.
• Iowa is a 1-seed in the Albany-2 Region. The Hawkeyes’ previous two 1-seeds came in 1988 and 1992. One-seeds have a 115-1 record against 16-seeds since the NCAA expanded to 64 teams in 1994.
• Caitlin Clark leads the nation in scoring (31.9 points per game) and assists (8.9 per game). She has totaled 3,771 points in her career.
• A win would send Iowa to its second consecutive 30-win season. Last year’s team earned a school-record 31 victories.
• The Hawkeyes are making their 30th NCAA appearance and have an all-time tournament record of 33-29. Holy Cross is in its 14th tournament and owns a 2-13 all-time mark. This is the first meeting between the two programs.
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How to watch Iowa vs. Holy Cross
What: No. 2 Iowa (29-4) vs. Holy Cross (21-12), NCAA women’s basketball tournament first round
When/where: 2 p.m. Saturday, Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City
TV: ABC
Live stream: ESPN3