Coverage from the game:
Highlights from Iowa's win:
Gillespie: Clark "is so great for the game of women's basketballl. What a competitor."
Illinois State Coach Kristen Gillespie: "It's going to be fun to see how far they advance."
Bluder: "Tomi is a senior and I think she's playing some of the best basketball of her career right now."
Bluder: "We've got to give (Czinano) the ball a little more, let her go to work." Wanted to see her take more than six shots today (she made them all).
Bluder on the Creighton matchup: "Neither one of us have too many secrets. I know they're going to be well-prepared and they're going to play their hearts out. It's going to be a great women's basketball game, with a lot on the line."
What a game for Caitlin Clark 💪
— ESPN (@espn) March 18, 2022
🏀 27 Pts
🏀 10 Ast
🏀 6 Reb pic.twitter.com/T37QraZhyi
Clark: "We're just super, super fortunate to have that kind of support from this community. It's not like that everywhere else. I get the chills every time I run out of the tunnel and they roar. It's super cool."
Czinano: "Everybody got shots up today and was hot so it was just really good for confidence building for the future."
Clark: "I thought we got a lot of great contributions off the bench."
Transition is "hands down our best offense. That's what we like to get to the most."
Bluder: "Our fans were amazing."
"We are so appreciative of them. Come again on Sunday."
Lisa Bluder: "I thought it was a really good game, especially with a couple days off."
Watch the postgame press conferences:
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Caitlin Clark finishes with 27 points (9-15 FG, 7-7 FT), 6 rebounds, 10 assists and 3 steals. Monika Czinano had 18 points (6-6 FG, 6-6 FT) and 7 rebounds. Gabbie Marshall had 13 points (3-6 3FG), 5 assists and 3 steals. And Tomi Taiwo scored 13 points (3-4 3FG).
Final: Iowa 98, Illinois State 58. It's the Hawkeyes' largest margin of victory in an NCAA Tournament game. Iowa will face Creighton in a second-round game Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (time TBA).
✅ Round 1
— On Iowa Sports (@GazetteOnIowa) March 18, 2022
Iowa beats Illinois State by 40, its largest margin of victory in an NCAA Tournament game pic.twitter.com/kuHgqVCBeh
Taiwo 3 from Clark range. Iowa now 12-26 from deep (44%) and leads 94-55, 1:47 left.
Sydney Affolter 3. Ninth Hawkeye to score. 91-50 Iowa.
Kylie Feuerbach 3. She's the eighth Hawkeye on the board. 88-50 Iowa.
Clark pulls up in transition and drills a 3. 27 points for her. Iowa up 85-50, 5:19 4th.
Clark gets her double-double on a feed to, who else, Czinano. Clark has 24 points and 10 assists and Iowa leads 80-47 with 7:56 left.
End 3rd: Iowa 74, Illinois State 47. O'Grady hit a shot at the buzzer off an inbounds pass with 1 second left. That gave Clark 9 assists. She has 20 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Czinano has 16 points on perfect shooting (5-5 FG, 6-6 FT) and 6 rebounds. Marshall has 11 points and 4 assists.
Taiwo for 3. Iowa up 72-47.
Iowa up 67-44 with 2:06 left in the 3rd after a Clark three-point play.
TV timeout, 4:50 3rd. Iowa 57, Illinois State 33. Clark stat watch: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals. And Czinano is up to 14 points and 6 rebounds.
💥 1-2 punch with the pick and roll from a well known duo! 💥@CaitlinClark22 @MCzinano#MarchMadness x @IowaWBB pic.twitter.com/ZoThRgZmWD
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 18, 2022
Linder's calling it.
Clark down hard. Back up. Feuerbach was ready to come in. Clark says no.
— Jeff Linder (@jtlinder) March 18, 2022
Marshall 3. 52-29.
Timeout ILST, 7:20 3rd.
This puppy's over.
Marshall hits a corner 3 and Illinois State calls timeout. 9-0 run to start the half. Iowa up 52-29.
Martin 3 pushes the lead to 20. 49-29.
Czinano opens the second half with a three-point play. Iowa leads 46-29.
Heading into halftime with momentum!
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 18, 2022
Taiwo gets a steal and scores for the Hawkeyes. #MarchMadness x @IowaWBB pic.twitter.com/Ai6npJvPwN
Half: Iowa 43, Illinois State 29. Hawkeyes had 7 steals, led by 3 from Clark, who also had 15 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists. Iowa shooting just 4 for 16 from 3 but 53.1% overall (17-32). As the steals would suggest, the defense has been solid and the Redbirds are similarly struggling from deep (4-15).
Taiwo steal and layup extends the Iowa lead to 43-29.
Redmond is up to 9 points for the Redbirds. Iowa up 39-29.
Czinano has been quiet but gets five points in a flurry. She scores to give Iowa a 36-27 lead, then a Marshall steal and and a Czinano three-point play makes it 39-27.
TV timeout, 4:20 2nd. Iowa 34, Illinois State 25. Hawkeyes now shooting 52% (13-25) after a 1-for-6 start. Illinois State at 37% (10-28). Clark has 15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals. Martin has 3 blocks.
Bullman 3 cuts the lead to 34-25.
Martin's second block leads to a Warnock 3 (Clark's fourth assist). Iowa leads 34-22.
Quick strike offense again for Iowa. Addison O'Grady scores on the block a few seconds after Redmond hit a jumper for the Redbirds. Timeout Illinois State. Iowa up 31-22, 6:18 2nd.
Warnock blocks a Crompton 3 and Clark gets another steal and layup. 15 points, 3 steals now for her and Iowa is up 29-20.
Iowa has scored within a few seconds of Illinois State's last two baskets. This time Kate Martin beats the Redbirds down the floor for a layup. 27-20 Iowa.
Another Clark steal and layup. 13 points, 2 steals and Iowa leads 25-18.
Crompton starts the second quarter with her third 3. Czinano gets her first points on the other end. Iowa up 23-18.
End 1st: Iowa 21, Illinois State 15. Caitlin Clark has 11 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists. Mary Crompton has 8 points for the Redbirds.
Illinois State scoring drought of 4:40 ends with a Bullman bank shot. 21-15 Iowa.
Kate Martin with a huge block, then Clark hits two free throws and gets a steal and layup. 7-0 Iowa run. 19-13.
Marshall corner 3 puts Iowa up 15-13, 3:30 1st.
Redmond hits 1-2 free throws to give Illinois State a 13-12 lead.
TV timeout, 4:29 1st. Iowa 12, Illinois State 12. Hawkeyes have made four shots in a row since a bit of a rough start. Clark has 5 points and 2 assists.
Defense late getting back for the Redbirds after a miss and Clark hits Warnock for a game-tying layup.
Crompton came to play in her hometown. Ball fake and dribbles into her second 3 for a 12-7 Illinios State lead. Gabbie Marshall answers on the other end to make it 12-10.
Clark 3 from the wing cuts the lead to 9-7.
Redmond answers in the lane. Illinois State up 9-4.
McKenna Warnock jumper makes it 7-4.
Hawkeyes off to a 1-for-6 start in the first 3 1/2 minutes.
Now Crompton buries a 3 and Illinois State leads 7-2.
Iowa City Regina grad Mary Crompton gives the Redbirds a 4-2 lead with a free-throw line jumper.
Caitlin Clark's first shot is a fadeaway jumper that swishes. Illinois State answers inside. It's 2-2.
Here we go. Iowa and Illinois State underway.
Iowa starters: Kate Martin, Caitlin Clark, Gabbie Marshall, McKenna Warnock, Monika Czinano
Illinois State starters: Mary Crompton, Maya Wong, Juliunn Redmond, DeAnna Wilson, Kate Bullman
In the first game, 10-seed Creighton leads 7-seed Colorado 36-31
Welcome to The Gazette's live coverage of Iowa in the NCAA women's basketball tournament! The No. 2-seed Hawkeyes hope to begin a deep run today when they host Illinois State in what might be the best first-round atmosphere in the country in Iowa City. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. (CT), though that could change slightly based on the Colorado-Creighton game.