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Hawkeyes upset by Illinois in Champaign, despite 32 from Caitlin Clark

On3 imageby:Kyle Huesmann•01/01/23•

HuesmannKyle

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Photo by Dennis Scheidt

Lisa Bluder said it best earlier this week when she previewed the trip to Illinois. It was going to be a dangerous game for the Hawkeyes. “They could care less about who Iowa is right,? said Bluder. “They haven’t had all of these losses to Iowa because these kids haven’t been there.”

The new look Illini didn’t care. Transfers Genesis Bryant and Makira Cook combined for 44 points to help lead the take down of the 12th ranked Hawkeyes in Champaign. Under first year head coach Shauna Green, Illinois is proving that they are a team to take seriously in the Big Ten.

The loss snapped a seven game win streak in the series for the Hawkeyes and it was Illinois’ first win against a ranked opponent at the State Farm Center since 2015.

The game got off to a slow start with the teams combinging to shoot just 6/17 from the flooring in the first five minutes. An 8-0 run from the Hawkeyes gave them an 18-13 lead at the end of the opening quarter, but Illinois got things rolling thereafter.

The Illini shooting started to heat up and a 9-0 run led by seven points from Makira Cook forced Lisa Bluder to take a timeout trailing 39-31 late in the first half. Genesis Bryant hit a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer to push the Illinois lead to 44-33 at the break. From that point on, it felt like the Illini were in control and Iowa was just trying to get back into it. Not a recipe for victory when you’re on the road playing a confident club.

In the third quarter the Hawkeyes battled back. Gabbie Marshall, McKenna Warnock and Caitlin Clark each hit three pointers to cut the Illinois lead to 51-48. However, Illinois responded with a run of their own. Jada Peebles hit a three to make it 58-53, while baskets from Genesis Bryant and Makira Cook extended the lead back to 67-58 before the fourth quarter.

The story of the final quarter was Caitlin Clark and Genesis Bryant going back and forth. Each of them trying to make the shot that was going to change the game. It seemed like Bryant always had the answer for the Illini.

A three pointer from Clark cut the lead to 75-74, but a pair of free throws and a Genesis Bryant three pointer made it 80-74. Clark once again answered with a deep three, but Bryant got a layup to go on the other end. A lazy inbounds pass was stolen and Adalia McKenzie converted a layup to make it 84-77 with 2:30 to play.

The Hawkeyes got the lead down to 87-84 and even had a chance to tie, but a couple of empty possessions, including a fifth foul for Caitlin Clark sealed the deal on the road loss. Kendall Bostic went one of two from the line with under two seconds to play and Illinois was able to pull off the 90-86 upset victory.

Caitlin Clark finished with 32 points on 11/27 shooting, including 7/14 from three point range. Monika Czinano had 24 points on 11/17 shooting, while McKenna Warnock added 17 points.

Genesis Bryant finished with 24 points, while Makira Cook had 20 points. Kendall Bostic had a season-high 17 points and 12 rebounds, including four offensive rebounds.

What went wrong?

Defense and rebounding. The achilles heel of the Hawkeyes. Illinois shot 28/51 (54.9%) from the floor and 6/14 (42.8%) from three-point range in the final three quarters of the game and scored 77 points. The Illini also outrebounded the Hawkeyes 36-30, including 11 offensive rebounds that turned into 13 second chance points. The 2nd ranked defensive rebounding team in the country grabbed just 65.6% of defensive rebound chances.

What’s next?

With the loss, the Hawkeyes fall to 11-4 on the season and 2-1 in Big Ten play. Up next is a trip to Ann Arbor for a matchup against a top 15 Michigan Wolverines squad on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 3:30pm and the game will be nationally televised on FOX.

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