The GOAT watched Sydney Affolter take the bull by the horns

Sydney Affolter made Iowa’s only basket of the fourth quarter Monday night against West Virginia’s ruthless defense. The biggest basket of the game is what it was.

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Gabbie Marshall and Sydney Affolter combine for Iowa's signature play of the year

Gabbie Marshall’s block and Sydney Affolter’s three-point play put Iowa in front for good, igniting the Hawkeyes to a 64-54 win over West Virginia

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Watch Caitlin Clark and Hannah Stuelke's postgame press conference

Watch Lisa Bluder's postgame press conference

Albany-2 tipoff times

Saturday's regional semifinals

Noon (CT) — LSU vs. UCLA

2:30 p.m. (CT) — Colorado vs. Iowa

Monday's regional final

6 p.m. (CT)

Hawkeyes grind one out, advance to the Sweet 16

Defense — and free throws — saved the day, and No. 2 Iowa fought past West Virginia, 64-54, in an NCAA women’s basketball second-round game before a sellout crowd of 14,324 Monday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

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Game highlights: Iowa 64, West Virginia 54

Final: Iowa 64, West Virginia 54

The No. 1 seed Hawkeyes (31-4) are going back to the Sweet 16.

Iowa closes the game on a 12-2 run after West Virginia started the fourth quarter on a 10-0 run to tie it.

Caitlin Clark leads the way with 28 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals and made sure she knew where the game ball was going.

"This team was never flustered and I think that just speaks to our experience," Clark told ESPN.

Sydney Affolter had 13 points (including the go-ahead three-point play), seven rebounds and two assists. Hannah Stuelke added 12 points, 11 boards and four blocks.

Iowa was only 5-for-22 from 3-point range but made 25 of 30 free-throw attempts.

Iowa 60, West Virginia 52 (0:34 4th)

Hannah Stuelke hits two free throws. And that's chekmate.

Iowa 58, West Virginia 52 (0:45 4th)

Jordan Harrison can't convert at the basket and picks up her fourth foul trying to get a steal in the backcourt. Caitlin Clark hits both free throws.

Iowa 56, West Virginia 52 (1:07 4th)

JJ Quinerly fouls out with 15 points. Hannah Stuelke goes 1-for-2 at the line.

Iowa 55, West Virginia 52 (2:03 4th)

Gabbie Marshall blocks JJ Quinerly's 3-point attempt, then Sydney Affolter takes it to the basket and gives Iowa its first made field goal of the fourth quarter. And it's a three-point play.

More clutch defense from Marshall.

Defense ➡️ Offense @GabbieMarshall x @sydneyaffolter1#Hawkeyes

📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/vEEwW8UlLW

— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 26, 2024

Iowa 52, West Virginia 52 (2:50 4th)

JJ Quinerly drives for a tying layup.

Iowa 52, West Virginia 50 (3:10 4th)

Caitlin Clark draws a foul on a drive and hits both free throws to put Iowa back in front.

Iowa 50, West Virginia 50 (3:33 4th)

Tirzah Moore scores on an inbounds play to tie it up again.

Iowa 50, West Virginia 48 (3:44 4th)

Jayla Hemingway's potential go-ahead 3 rims out, but the Mountaineers will get it back under their own basket.

Timeout WVU.

Iowa 50, West Virginia 48 (4:46 4th)

Sydney Affolter hits a pair of free throws for Iowa's first points of the fourth quarter. Three WVU players (Hemingway, Blacksten, Quinerly) have four fouls.

Iowa 48, West Virginia 48 (5:07 4th)

Jayla Hemingway's wide-open corner 3 ties it. It's 10-0 West Virginia in the fourth quarter. Iowa is 0-for-5 from the field in the quarter.

Timeout Iowa.

All Square.

Tune in NOW...

📺ESPN pic.twitter.com/cnGM9MIcP7

— WVU Women's Basketball (@WVUWBB) March 26, 2024

Iowa 48, West Virginia 43 (7:11 4th)

Lots of whistles now, four in quick succession on West Virginia. Jayla Hemingway blows kisses to the crowd on her way to the bench after picking up her fourth foul.

Hannah Stuelke misses a pair of free throws and Iowa still hasn't scored in the fourth quarter.

Iowa 48, West Virginia 43 (8:30 4th)

West Virginia scores the first five points of the fourth quarter. Kyah Watson's third 3-pointer brings the Mountaineers within five.

End 3rd: Iowa 48, West Virginia 38

Big play with a second left in the third quarter. Kyah Watson fouled Kate Martin on an off-balance 3, her fourth foul. Martin made 2 of 3 free throws and the Hawkeyes end the quarter on an 8-0 run.

Iowa 46, West Virginia 38 (0:49 3rd)

Caitlin Clark with a crossover to get into the lane and converts a three-point play. She has 24 points.

😤😤😤#MarchMadness x 🎥 ESPN / @IowaWBB pic.twitter.com/Uk8teVPnjJ

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 26, 2024

Iowa 43, West Virginia 38 (1:25 3rd)

Key sequence as West Virginia can't convert on a 2-on-1 opportunity after an Iowa turnover, then Kate Martin rebounds a Caitlin Clark miss and converts a three-point play.

COUNT IT 😤@kate_martin22 x #Hawkeyes

📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/RZXQSQJuzd

— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 26, 2024

Iowa 40, West Virginia 38 (2:00 3rd)

Kyah Watson's corner 3 makes it a two-point game.

Iowa 38, West Virginia 35 (3:00 3rd)

JJ Quinerly hits another 3 and it's a 9-0 WVU run.

Feeling it 👌#HailWV | @Hoops11Jj pic.twitter.com/v6s3RA8YpP

— WVU Women's Basketball (@WVUWBB) March 26, 2024

Iowa 38, West Virginia 29 (4:31 3rd)

JJ Quinerly's 3 draws WVU back within single digits.

TV timeout.

Iowa 36, West Virginia 26 (5:27 3rd)

Second-chance points don't come much easier than this: Hannah Stuelke rebounds and kicks to Sydney Affolter, who finds a wide-open Caitlin Clark for 3. The Hawkeyes have their largest lead of the game.

Swish 💦@CaitlinClark22 x #Hawkeyes

📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/GWUP5JaEP4

— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 26, 2024

Iowa 33, West Virginia 26 (6:38 3rd)

A Caitlin Clark 3 and Sydney Affolter putback of a 3-point miss from Gabbie Marshall then went all the way around the rim puts the Hawkeyes up seven quickly. 

Timeout West Virginia.

Iowa 28, West Virginia 24 (8:56 2nd)

Caitlin Clark probes into the lane and converts through contact to get the second-half scoring started. JJ Quinerly is back in the game for WVU and picks up her second foul.

Key first half-stats

• West Virginia has more fastbreak points than Iowa, 9-6.

• The Hawkeyes went scoreless in the last 4:49 of the half.

• No Iowa player has more than one foul.

• The Hawkeyes have nine turnovers. West Va. has forced 773 of them this season.

Half: Iowa 26, West Virginia 24

West Virginia has played this game at its pace, holding Iowa to its lowest-scoring half of the season according to ESPN.

The Hawkeyes only scored six points in the second quarter.

Caitlin Clark leads Iowa with 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting. Hannah Stuelke has seven points and four rebounds. Kyah Watson and JJ Quinerly both have seven for the Mountaineers.

"We've gotta make better pasing decisions right now," Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder told ESPN. "We have nine turnovers and that's way too many for us."

Iowa 26, West Virginia 24 (2:00 2nd)

WVU isn't going away. Four straight points, with JJ Quinerly on the bench with her knee wrapped, and the Mountaineers are within two.

Iowa 26, West Virginia 19 (4:45 2nd)

Gabbie Marshall is all over JJ Quinerly. Her tipped pass leads to a Caitlin Clark steal and breakaway layup.

Iowa 24, West Virginia 19 (6:05 2nd)

Some confusion here. WVU's JJ Quinerly appeared to be shaken up after a Hannah Stuelke layup. Iowa thought a 5-second violation was called on West Virginia after the basket but officials are going to give the ball back to the Mountaineers. Quinerly is staying in the game.

Iowa 22, West Virginia 19 (6:36 2nd)

Iowa's triangle-and-two defense looked effective but Tirzah Moore pulled down an offensive rebound for a putback.

End 1st: Iowa 20, West Virginia 15

A bit of a shaky start against West Virginia's pressure (five turnovers) didn't last long. Caitlin Clark has nine points on 3-of-5 3-point shooting.

Kyah Watson and JJ Quinerly both have five points for the Mountaineers.

Good vibes at Carver

I'm at courtside, see no tension in Iowa's players. Marshall and Affolter shared a laugh just before tip-off. Clark seems relaxed, as her three 3-pointers would attest. George Kittle just worked the crowd on the p.a., wearing one his wife's old Iowa jerseys. It doesn't fit him well.

Iowa 16, West Virginia 13 (3:00 1st)

Caitlin Clark's stepback, contested 3-pointer gives Iowa its first lead.

West Virginia 13, Iowa 13 (3:49 1st)

Hannah Stuelke's transition layup ties the score after a Caitlin Clark pull-up 3. It's an 8-2 Iowa run, including a Stuelke three-point play as well.

TV timeout.

Effortless 🤩 @CaitlinClark22
#MarchMadness x 🎥 ESPN / @IowaWBB pic.twitter.com/4uucSONc15

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 26, 2024

West Virginia 11, Iowa 5 (5:33 1st)

Kylee Blacksten restores the WVU's lead with a 3, then Caitlin Clark picks up a charging foul. She gestures the flop signal on her way back down the court. JJ Quinerly adds another triple to extend the lead to six.

West Virginia 5, Iowa 5 (7:00 1st)

Caitlin Clark is on the board with a deep 3.

Pure 🔥@CaitlinClark22 x #Hawkeyes

📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/Forc7vAGJ2

— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 26, 2024

West Virginia 5, Iowa 2 (7:32 1st)

Iowa already has two turnovers in the halfcourt offense, but Sydney Affolter gets the Hawkeyes on the board with a drive for a layup.

West Virginia 3, Iowa 0 (9:22 1st)

Caitlin Clark is denied at the rim by Kyah Watson on Iowa's first possession, then Watson buries a corner 3 on the other end.

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.

West Virginia starters:

10 Jordan Harrison, 5-8 soph.

11 JJ Quinerly, 5-8 jr.

23 Lauren Fields, 5-9 sr.

32 Kyah Watson, 5-10 jr.

14 Kylee Blacksten, 6-3 sr.

Monday’s real home finale for Iowa’s Caitlin Clark won’t be sentimental. It’s win or ...

The Hawkeyes have their hands full in a second-round NCAA tourney game against West Virginia. Which probably is just the way Caitlin Clark wants it.

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Iowa vs. West Virginia is a matchup of scorers vs. stoppers

Iowa’s 92.8-point scoring rate leads the nation; so does West Virginia’s plus-8.8 turnover differential. The Hawkeyes and the Mountaineers collide Monday with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line.

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Iowa vs. West Virginia game notes

• Iowa takes its nation-leading scoring offense (92.8 points per game) into a matchup with the stingy Mountaineers (57.6 ppg allowed). West Virginia leads the nation in turnover margin (plus-8.8) and is third in turnovers forced (23.9) and steals (14.0).

• The Hawkeyes are seeking their 10th Sweet 16 appearance, their second straight. They rolled past Holy Cross, 91-65, in the first round, outscoring the Crusaders 25-9 in the second quarter to break it open. Caitlin Clark scored 27 points (sending her career total to 3,798), and added eight rebounds and 10 assists. Kate Martin added 15 points and 14 rebounds. Hannah Stuelke missed the second half due to a migraine, but Addison O’Grady picked up the slack with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting.

• West Virginia’s defense was on full display in the third quarter of a 63-53 first-round win over Princeton. The Mountaineers allowed seven points in the third, turning a 26-24 deficit into a 42-33 advantage. Ja’Naiya Quinerly scored 29 points, and WVU shot 52.5 percent from the field.

• The Moutaineers started the season 13-0 and, at 12-6 in the Big 12, finished in a tie for fourth place. Their only Sweet 16 appearance came in 1992.

• Iowa leads the all-time series, 4-1. The last meeting was in 2019, an 84-81 victory at the Junkanoo Jam, in which the Hawkeyes rallied from a 24-point deficit.

How to watch Iowa vs. West Virginia

When/where: 7 p.m. (CT) Monday, Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City

TV: ESPN

Live stream: ESPN.com or ESPN app

Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network affiliates