Despite being nearly 30 points below their season scoring average, Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes overcame a late West Virginia surge to advance to the Sweet 16 of the 2024 NCAA women’s basketball championship.
Clark scored a game-high 32 points in the 64-54 victory Monday at Iowa City’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena, making 8 of 22 shots, including 5 of 14 from three.
The Hawkeyes, who had a national-best 92 points per game this season, made only 17 of 47 shots (36.2%), including 5 of 22 (22.7%) 3-point tries.
“It’s kind of an anomaly,” Clark told reporters when questioned about the difficulties. “That’s what happens occasionally, but you have to be tenacious and find a way to win.
“That’s exactly what this team did.”
The Hawkeyes scored only six points in the second quarter and had one field goal in the fourth. Clark was the only Hawkeyes player to make a 3-point shot.
But the Mountaineers’ offense also faltered. They made only 33.9% of their shots, including 9 of 34 3-pointers.
The Hawkeyes led 42-35 in rebounds. They also converted 25 of 30 free throw attempts. The Mountaineers made only three of their five foul shots.
Sydney Affolter, a junior guard, scored 13 points for the Hawkeyes. Sophomore forward Hannah Stuelke had 12 points and 11 rebounds.
“That’s not typically our style, but we found a way,” Hawkeyes coach Lisa Bluder said. “I’m so proud of this team for being able to divert from what usually works for us and finding a different way to win.”
The top-seeded Hawkeyes will face the No. 5 Colorado Buffaloes in the Sweet Sixteen. The Buffaloes progressed with a 63-50 victory over the No. 4 Kansas State Wildcats.
The victor of that battle will face either the No. 3 LSU Tigers or the No. 2 UCLA Bruins in the Elite Eight. LSU and Iowa’s victory might lead to a replay of last year’s national championship game. The Tigers defeated Middle Tennessee State University’s Blue Raiders 83-56 on Sunday to progress.
On Monday in Los Angeles, the Bruins defeated the seventh-ranked Creighton Bluejays 67–63. Kiki Rice, a sophomore guard, scored a game-high 24 points. Lauren Betts, a sophomore center, added 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Clark was not the only All-American who shone in the final wave of the women’s round of 32 matches.
Superstar freshman guard Juju Watkins led the No. 1 USC Trojans to a 73-55 victory over the No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks, scoring 28 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. The Jayhawks outscored the Trojans 28-18 in the paint, but fell behind 26-6 in points off turnovers. The Trojans never trailed and led by up to 19 points.
They will face the No. 5 Baylor Bears in the Sweet 16. The victor will face either the third-ranked UConn Huskies or the seventh-ranked Duke Blue Devils in the Elite Eight. The Blue Devils defeated the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes 76-63 on Sunday to progress.
Junior guard Paige Bueckers led the Huskies with 32 points in a 72-64 victory over the No. 6 Syracuse Orange on Monday in Storrs, Conn. She also had ten rebounds and six assists.
The Huskies converted 50.9% of their shots, compared to the Oranges’s 33.8%. They also made 8 of 17 (47.1%) 3-point tries, had a 30-10 advantage in points in the paint, and led by up to a dozen points.
The No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish progressed as well, defeating the No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels 71-56 on Monday in Notre Dame, Indiana. Junior forward Maddy Westbeld led the Irish with 20 points. Hannah Hidalgo, a freshman guard, contributed 19 points.
Sonia Citron, a junior guard, finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists in the victory. The Irish made 50% of their shots and led by up to 24 points.
They’ll face the No. 3 Oregon State Beavers in the Sweet 16. The Beavers progressed with a 61-51 victory over the No. 6 Nebraska Cornhuskers. The winner of the Oregon State-Notre Dame game will face either the top overall seed, the South Carolina Gamecocks, or the fourth-ranked Indiana Hoosiers in the Elite Eight.
The Gamecocks defeated the No. 8 North Carolina Tar Heels, 88-41, on Sunday to advance. The Hoosiers defeated the No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners 75-68 on Tuesday in Bloomington, Indiana. Senior forward Mackenzie Holmes led the contest with 29 points.
In the tight victory, the Hoosiers had an 18-to-4 turnover-to-assist ratio and converted 22 of 29 free throws.
The No. 3 North Carolina State Wolfpack also progressed with a 79-72 victory over the No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers. Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers, both junior guards, scored 22 and 20 points in the victory.
The Wolfpack will face No. 2 Stanford Cardinal in the Sweet 16. The Cardinals defeated the No. 7 Iowa State Cyclones 87-81 on Sunday to advance. The winner of the North Carolina State-Stanford game will face the No. 1 Texas Longhorns or the No. 4 Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Elite Eight.
The Longhorns defeated Alabama’s No. 8 Crimson Tide 65-54 on Sunday to advance. The Bulldogs defeated the No. 5 Utah Utes 77-66 on Monday in Spokane, Washington.
The Bulldogs outshot the Utes 48% to 38.1% in the round of 32. They also converted 12 of 22 (54.5%) 3-point tries, compared to the Utes’ 26.5%. Kayleigh Truong, a senior guard, led the Bulldogs with 21 points. Senior forward Yvonne Ejim contributed 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Alissa Pili, a senior forward for the Utes, led the team with 35 points in the loss.
The 2024 NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament will resume on Friday with four games on ESPN.
The opening game of the day, at 2:30 p.m., will pit No. 2 Notre Dame against No. 3 Oregon State. No. 1 South Carolina will face No. 4 Indiana at 5 p.m. No. 2 Stanford will face No. 3 North Carolina State at 7:30 p.m. The final game of the day, at 10 p.m., will pit No. 1 Texas against No. 4 Gonzaga.
On Saturday, ESPN and ABC will carry four more Sweet 16 games. Sunday and Monday will host the Elite Eight games. The women’s final four will take place on April 5 in Cleveland. The title game will take place on April 7 in Cleveland.
