Caitlin Clark, Lisa Bluder assess Iowa's turnaround in 2nd half against Nebraska

It looked like it was going to be an interesting day at Carver-Hawkeye Arena as Nebraska kept pace with Iowa through the first half. The Hawkeyes held a five-point lead at the break as the offense struggled to find a rhythm and the Cornhuskers kept pace.

Things turned around in a big way after halftime, though. Caitlin Clark had 28 points in the final two quarters as Iowa kicked it into gear en route to the 92-73 victory. Clark had 38 points on the day and now finds herself just four points away from catching Jackie Stiles for third on the NCAA’s all-time scoring list.

As for what changed after halftime, Clark said it started on the defensive end and the emotions followed suit.

“I think just our intensity,” Clark told Big Ten Network’s Brenda VanLengen. “We played harder on defense, played with more emotion, played with more pride, celebrating our teammates, moved the ball better. Our offense in the first half, we were just stagnant, didn’t move the ball well. Got our transition offense going, so just a lot better in the second half for us.”

Iowa had a rough go in multiple facets during the first half against Nebraska. The Hawkeyes shot 44.8% from the field, but just 3-for-13 from three-point distance and got outrebounded 23-16. The Cornhuskers turned eight offensive rebounds into nine second-chance points, which helped them stick with Iowa heading into the break.

The issues on offense coupled with Nebraska’s work on the glass were reasons for the close game, and Lisa Bluder said the Hawkeyes’ ability to kick things into gear on offense helped flip the script. Not only did Clark have 38 points, but two other Hawkeyes — Kate Martin and Sydney Affolter — reached double figures with 16 and 12 points, respectively.

“We had three people in double figures, I always love that,” Bluder said. “I think we had 20 assists. That’s pretty darn good, too. We passed the ball well, especially in the second half. We got a much better job of passing the ball around. Really happy the way Kate Martin runs the floor. Missed too many easy bunnies, though. There’s just so many ways that we can get better.”

Caitlin Clark: Iowa was ‘fueled’ by loss to Ohio State last week

It was an interesting week for Iowa, which last took the court against Ohio State on Jan. 21. That marked the Hawkeyes’ second loss of the season as the Buckeyes came away with the 100-92 upset. Caitlin Clark and her teammates had six days to think about that game, and she saw some good things throughout the prep for Nebraska.

While she noted Iowa’s slow start in the first half, it’s also going to be a point of emphasis in practice this week.

“I think we got some good rest,” Clark said. “I think the thing about Ohio State is we knew we could’ve won that game. Up 10, late in the fourth quarter. I think that just fuels you. It just shows us how good we are, but also it makes you look in the mirror and find ways that you can get better. We got after it in practice.

“I thought we were sluggish to come out here in the first half. We didn’t really play very well. We did terrible on the boards tonight. Always, you can improve and get better, and that’s exactly what we’ll do at practice tomorrow.”