Last year’s national athlete in the calendar year, Caitlin Clark, adding to her already impressive list of accomplishments by making the buzzer-beating 3-pointer on Tuesday night just inside Iowa’s half-court line.
The shot gave the Hawkeyes the 76-73 win over the State of Michigan Spartans. For long stretches, both teams were ahead.
With seconds left, Iowa had the ball and was still in charge, but the score was tied. Clark hit a three-point shot and ran with the first seat on the other side of the playing surface to rejoice with the crowd.
And just then, it looked like the Hawkeyes might have blown a good chance. Extra time would shortly begin.
While Clark was outside the 3-point line, Hannah Stuelke, an offensive player, passed the ball to her.
With less than a second left, Clark simulated a right turn, took just a few steps again, and finally made the shot.
Clark quickly threw the ball backward while her hand was on her face. The player let go of it shortly prior to the green light came on the backboard, indicating that the point was made.
A picture in Clark dropping the soccer ball alongside 0.1 seconds left was shared by Iowa. On social media, people were fighting about whether they were able to get it off on time.
People got the wrong idea because the clock on the Peacock presentation was not in sync of the real game time.
The game was close until Clark got the touchdown that won it at the close of the second quarter.
Early in the first quarter, Iowa led 25–17. By the conclusion of the second, they were ahead 30–21. Following that, Michigan State scored 17 points in a row and led 37–35 at the break.
Both teams took rounds being in charge a few times in the second half before the crazy final minutes. Clark hit a 3-pointer with 2:34 left to give Iowa an 71-67 lead.
Both teams made two layups, and with 1:29 left, the score was tied at 71-71. Clark informed Peacock after the game, “We continue to work on these plays every morning, too.”
“We always do one thing: have Hannah a football while I prepare room.” They took it pretty hard, but I really feel lucky that it was over.
having that shot, Clark enjoyed her 10th 40-point victory of her professional career, breaking an even score with former Missouri State guard Jackie Stiles.
In the past 25 years, Stiles had more games with 40 points than any other Division I player.
Iowa is now 14-1 overall and 3-0 across the Big Ten. In 11 straight games, the Hawkeyes have beaten more games than any other team because the 2004–05 season.
It’s the best run by a Grade I player in the past two decades, tied by Alysha Clark, and she played in Belmont or as Middle Tennessee, with four games in a row with 35 points.
Ohio State beat Iowa even though they only shot 46.3% and Iowa only shot 41.8%. In the subsequent quarter, they scored just 10 points, the fewest in a quarter this season.
They were ahead by as many as six percentage points in the final quarter. “It was an intense game; their bodies played you please really well, which is why we should have given themselves credit,” said Clark.
“But this group makes me proud.” Things didn’t go as planned tonight, but you showed up, persevered, and won. It is unimportant what happens in the end as long as an teams win.
“I think I had some trouble there’s as well; I was a bit warm, got a little cold, particularly throughout the second period half,” she said.
You have to let it go and respond, though. “I took a brief break from the competition by replacing myself.” That’s likely where I’ve grown most in the past few years.
This season, the player in West Des Moines is almost done breaking a Division I scoring record. She is expected to be chosen first in the 2024 WNBA draft.