CHARLOTTE, N. C. — Caitlin Clark has it again.
Clark scored 44 points and had eight rebounds and six assists, helping the No. Iowa 3 to move away from eighth-place Virginia Tech and pull away from an 80-76 victory Thursday night in front of 15,196 fans in the NBA. Spectrum Center. Charlotte Hornets House.
The 2023 Associated Press Player of the Year in her arsenal, she hurt the Hokies with deep 3-pointers, one-handed layups, opposite jumpers and nifty passes to beat teams within two.
Clark finished under 46 career points against Michigan in 2022 in an environment that both coaches said rivaled that of a Final Four.
Clark was 5 of 16 from 3-point range, but got hurt to the max when he drove to the basket and made contact. He went to the line 17 times, or thirteen times.
“They need to declare the game very even at both ends of the pitch, so why not drive around and ask the referee to call the foul?”Clark said.
Clark put 3 Virginia Tech players on the road.
“He’s been fouled about 16 times, which clearly puts us in a tough spot,” Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks said. “We had foul problems from the beginning. It disrupted our game plan and stagnated us a bit.
Clark 31 of Iowa’s 68 shots.
“There is that kind of wire that you have to balance on between Caitlin doing all of the scoring and having everyone contribute,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. “So you have to balance that all of the time. But I felt there were so many key people that helped her.”
Hannah Stuelke added 12 points and Sydney Affolter 14 rebounds for the Hawkeyes (2-0).
The Hawkeyes overcame a game by Georgia Amoore, who scored 31 points and seven 3-pointers for the Hokies (1-1). Elizabeth Kitley, a two-time CCA Player of the Year, had 16 points and 16 rebounds. Cut on the head that required stitches after the game.
Both entered the season as NCAA championship contenders after posting deep runs in the tournament last year. Virginia Tech lost to LSU 79-72 in the Final Four and Iowa fell to the Tigers 102-85 in the name game.
Clark got off to a strong start with seven goals and three assists for Stuelke as Iowa jumped out to a 13-4 lead.
But the Hokies came back strong with a 14-2 run led by Amoore, who made 11 of 3 3-pointers in the first quarter, adding a buzzer from halfcourt that set the crowd on fire.
Clark continued to invest in the third quarter, dropping back at the most sensitive spot and scoring a layup by the left-hander to help Iowa take a double-digit lead. Virginia Tech would fight to cut the lead to 62-60 thanks to 3 consecutive seconds from Matilda Ekh and Cayla King.
But Clark had plenty of answers, and the Hawkeyes took control from there, falling 14-2 in the fourth quarter to Kate Martin and Sharon Goodman, who combined for nine numbers down the stretch. Clark assisted on two of the shots.
Amoore hit a 3-pointer from the corner to cut the lead to 4 with 1:12 left, but Clark made five shots on the drive to end the game.
BIG PICTURE
Iowa: Clark simply unstoppable, scoring and creating in any and all ways possible. But the Hawkeyes have also shown that despite their lack of size, they have plenty of other talents. They outscored the Hokies 47-40.
Virginia Tech: Amoore showed bravery and courage until the end and didn’t let his team give up. In the end, Tech simply couldn’t get Clark involved on a night when the officers made a lot of mistakes. Still, they are a talented organization that will compete with any team in the country.
NEXT
Iowa: Visit northern Iowa on Sunday.
Virginia Tech: Welcome Houston Baptist on November 16.
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