Top ten moments of the Iowa Women's Basketball season

The Iowa Women’s Basketball team fell just short of the program’s first national championship on Sunday against LSU, but it was still a historic season for the Hawkeyes. They advanced to their first Final Four since 1993 and made it to the program’s first ever national title game. They won a program record 31 games and won the Big Ten Tournament for the second straight season.

Caitlin Clark won Big Ten Player of the Year and swept all of the National Player of the Year Awards. Associate head coach Jan Jensen won the WBCA Assistant Coach of the Year award, while head coach Lisa Bluder was a semifinalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award. Monika Czinano and McKenna Warnock earned All-Big Ten honors, while true freshman Hannah Stuelke won Big Ten 6th Player of the Year.

Finally, the Hawkeyes were apart of a record setting NCAA Tournament in terms of viewership. Iowa’s Elite Eight matchup against Louisville drew 2.49 million viewers, which surpassed every single regular season NBA game on ESPN this season. The Hawkeyes Final Four matchup against South Carolina reached 5.5 million viewers, while the national championship against LSU shattered the record for the most watched Women’s Basketball game. An impressive 9.9 million people tuned in, while viewership peaked at 12.6 million. The 2023 Women’s NCAA Tournament also broke it’s attendance record, with over 357,000 people attending the entire tournament.

“I’m so proud of my team. I’m proud of the women they are and I’m proud of what they stand for. The Iowa fans that came here in droves, I’m so thankful for them. I’m thankful that I get to coach at a university like the University of Iowa,” said Lisa Bluder. “We played in the National Championship Game.”

With that, we take a look back at the top ten moments from a historic season for Lisa Bluder and the Iowa Hawkeyes…

10. Iowa defeats Iowa State in a highly-touted Cy-Hawk battle

13,802 fans packed into Carver to watch their 16th ranked Hawkeyes take on the 10th ranked Cyclones. Both teams struggled to score the ball in the first half, with Iowa State leading 28-23 at the break, but Iowa took control in the third quarter. The Hawkeyes outscored the Cyclones 27-8 and went on to win 70-57 to pick up their first of many top ten wins.

Monika Czinano went up against ISU post Stephanie Soares and came away with a double-double 18 points and ten rebounds. Caitlin Clark led all scorers and nearly had a triple-double with 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. It marked the Hawkeyes sixth win in seven games against Iowa State.

9. Monika Czinano scores 36, Hawkeyes escape Drake in OT

A sold out Knapp Center welcomed the Hawkeyes and Bulldogs for an in-state battle in just the third game of the season for Iowa. It ended up being one of the best games of the season. Drake overcame a five-point deficit in the final two minutes and Katie Dinnebier tied the game at 82 with just 24 seconds to go in regulation. The Iowa defense stepped in overtime and held the Bulldogs to just 1/8 shooting, which allowed the Hawkeyes to escape with a 92-86 victory.

Monika Czinano recorded a double-double with a game-high 36 points and 11 rebounds. She shot 14/21 from the floor, including 8/13 in the second half and OT. Caitlin Clark finished with 28 points and nine assists, while McKenna Warnock added 11 points, including three three-pointers.

8. Carver-Hawkeye Arena hosts ESPN College Gameday

Ahead of the Hawkeyes season finale matchup against #2 Indiana, the ESPN College Gameday crew of Elle Duncan, Andraya Carter, Rebecca Lobo, Carolyn Peck and Holly Rowe stopped by for an hour long show to preview the game. Iowa was just one of three schools that got the opportunity to host the show all season. Hawkeye fans responded to the shows appearance and packed the stands, which made for an electric environment during the show.

It was just the second time that any of the Gameday shows will visit Iowa City. Hubbard Park on the Iowa campus hosted the football version of ESPN College Gameday back in 2006 ahead of the Hawkeyes game against Ohio State.

“Our program is thrilled to be one-of-three schools selected this season to have College GameDay on our campus. It’s a huge honor and we are looking forward to showcasing our program on one of the best stages,” said Lisa Bluder ahead of the shows arrival.

The game was televised on ESPN and the Hawkeyes went on to defeat Indiana on a buzzer-beater three-pointer from Caitlin Clark. Stay tuned to see where that lands on the list of top moments.

7. Hawkeyes knock off undefeated Ohio State in Columbus

Iowa traveled to Columbus the last week of January and at the time, the Buckeyes were 19-0 and ranked #2 in the AP Poll. The Hawkeyes trailed 24-23 after the opening quarter, but they took over from there. Over the next 15 minutes, Iowa outscored Ohio State 33-20 to build a 56-44 lead midway through the third quarter.

The Buckeyes made a run late in the quarter and cut the Iowa lead to 56-54. However, the Hawkeyes dealt the final blow. They opened the fourth quarter on a 19-8 run and handed Ohio State their first loss of the season in front of a sellout crowd at Value City Arena.

Caitlin Clark logged a triple-double 28 points, ten rebounds and 15 assists, while Monika Czinano added 22 points on 11/13 shooting from the floor. The win marked the highest road ranked win and 27th win against an AP Top 10 team in school history.

6. Caitlin Clark and Monika Czinano eclipse 2,000 career points in back-to-back games

The Law Firm of Clark & Czinano has been known for their assist to basket connection over the last three seasons, but in last December, they each reached their own scoring milestone.

The Hawkeyes already had a 42-19 lead early in the second quarter against Dartmouth on December 21st, but a three-pointer by Caitlin Clark with 7:50 to play in the half was significant. The three-point make got Caitlin past the 2,000 point mark for her career in just 75 career games. That broke the previous Big Ten record set by Ohio State’s Kelsey Mitchell (79 games) and tied the NCAA record set by Delaware’s Elena Delle Donne.

“Delle Donne, she was a person I idolized growing up,” said Clark. “I have her shoes in my locker and I wear them, so it’s just kind of cool to be in the company of some of the players that I am. It’s really an honor.”

Eight days later in Iowa’s next game against Purdue, Monika Czinano reached and surpassed the 2,000 point mark with a pair of free throws in the fourth quarter of their 83-68 victory. Czinano and Clark became the first teammates in Big Ten history to reach the scoring mark during the same season.

“It’s really special. It really hasn’t sunk in yet, but seeing Megan (Gustafson) do it and seeing Caitlin do it, it’s a really exclusive list that I’m joining of great Hawkeyes,” said Czinano.

Clark and Czinano joined Megan Gustafson, Ally Disterhoft and Cindy Haugejorde as the five players in program history to eclipse 2,000 points.

5. Caitlin Clark sweeps National Player of the Year Awards

Caitlin Clark put together a dominant season and was rewarded with a clean sweep of the NPOY awards. She won the Naismith, Wooden, Associated Press and The Athletic National Player of the year awards. Clark also was named the Ann Meyers Drysdale award winner, as the best shooting guard in the country, as well as the Wade Trophy for being the best upperclassman player in the country.

“I want my legacy to be the impact that I can have on young kids and the people in the state of Iowa, and I hope I brought them a lot of joy this season,” said Clark.

Caitlin finished the season averaging 27.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game. She became the first player in Divison I women’s basketball history to record more than 900 points and 300 assists in the same season. Clark also took down the single season Big Ten record for most points in a season with 1,055 points. In the Elite Eight, Caitlin became the first player in NCAA Tournament history to record a 40-point triple-double.

“Caitlin is spectacular. I don’t know how else to describe what she does on the basketball court,” said Lisa Bluder.

Caitlin Clark is the best player in women’s college basketball.

She needs just 811 points next season to pass Kelsey Plum (3,527) for the NCAA scoring record. pic.twitter.com/ifzOAsOSFy

— Kyle Huesmann (@HuesmannKyle) April 4, 2023

4. Hawkeyes win three games in three days for back-to-back Big Ten Tournament Titles

Iowa won the Big Ten Tournament in 2022 when they defeated Northwestern, Nebraska and Indiana en route to the title. They headed to Minneapolis last month with their eye on a repeat championship weekend. Hawkeye fans traveled in droves to the Target Center and saw their team hoisting the trophy at the end of the weekend.

In the tournament opener against Purdue, the Hawkeyes won a low-scoring 69-58 battle. A 9-2 run from the Boilermakers early in the third quarter gave them a 34-33 lead. However, Iowa responded with a 27-11 run and they moved on to the semifinal to face Maryland. Caitlin Clark had a game-high 22 points and eight rebounds to lead the way.

The semifinal against the Terrapins was a barn burner. The Hawkeyes got off to a hot start with a 21-9 lead, but by the fourth quarter, Maryland tied the game at 79 with 2:19 to play. Gabbie Marshall was hot all day from behind the arc and knocked down her seventh three-pointer of the day to put Iowa back in front. The Hawkeyes went on to win 89-84 to clinch a spot in the championship game against Ohio State. Caitlin Clark and Gabbie Marshall combined for 43 points on 12/26 shooting from behind the arc. McKenna Warnock added 21 points, while Kate Martin finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

The title game on Sunday was utter domination from start to finish. The Hawkeyes outscored Ohio State 26-9 in the first quarter and built a 61-24 halftime lead. Iowa rolled to a 105-72 victory for their second straight Big Ten Tournament championship. Caitlin Clark logged a triple-double with 30 points, ten rebounds and 17 assists. Monika Czinano finished with 26 points on 11/12 shooting, while Kate Martin added 13 points.

3. Caitlin Clark beats the buzzer in the season finale against Indiana

The Hawkeyes lost out on their opportunity to win a Big Ten regular season title when they lost at Maryland the game before, but the season finale against #2 Indiana delivered quite the moment.

Iowa had led the game for 35:21 seconds, but with under two seconds to play, it was the Indiana Hoosiers with an 85-83 advantage. Insert Caitlin Clark. Out of an Iowa timeout, Clark came off of screens from McKenna Warnock and Monika Czinano. Kate Martin inbounded to Caitlin and she launched up an off-balance three-pointer. The shot fell, the crowd went nuts and Caitlin took off running towards the crowd.

“I just ran,” said Clark. “I just kind of ran into the crowd and was just getting everybody hyped and then got tackled by my teammates.”

“Those are situations I would put myself in with my two brothers out in the driveway,” said Clark. “That’s still what I do when I come in the gym and shoot by myself. Those are the situations you dream up and want to be in. I’m lucky enough to be able to do it for this team and in front of 15,000 people.”

2. Hawkeyes defeat Louisville, advance to first Final Four since 1993

1993: C. Vivian Stringer was the head coach of an Iowa team led by Kodak All-American Toni Foster. Lisa Bluder was in her third of ten seasons as head coach at Drake, while Jan Jensen was in Germany playing professionally for BTV-Wuppertal. That was the last time the Hawkeyes had reached the Final Four.

The Hawkeyes entered their Elite Eight battle against Louisville looking to end the Final Four drought. Things did not get off to a great start, with the Cardinals jumping out to an 8-0 lead, but Iowa dominated from there behind the play of Caitlin Clark. The Hawkeyes led 48-43 at the half, but used a 30-16 third quarter to take control of the game. They built their lead as high as 83-61 in the fourth and cruised to a 97-83 victory to punch their ticket to the Final Four in Dallas.

“A lot of people told me it would never happen when I came to the University of Iowa. But (Lisa Bluder) believed in me and that was really all that mattered,” said Clark. “We made our locker room believe and when you dream and work really hard, a lot of really cool things can happen.”

Clark logged the first ever 40-point triple-double in NCAA tournament history with 41 points, ten rebounds and 12 assists. She knocked down eight of her 14 three-point attempts. McKenna Warnock added 17 points, while Gabbie Marshall finished with 14 points.

1. Iowa upsets undefeated South Carolina, advances to first ever National Title Game

No one gave the Hawkeyes a chance. The Gamecocks came into the game with a 36-0 record and had won 42 straight games. They were the unanimous #1 team for nearly the entire season and never gave up the #1 spot. Vegas had South Carolina as an 12-point favorite and Iowa was +500 on the moneyline. That’s why they play the game.

Iowa held SC to just 6/18 shooting in the first quarter and took advantage, as they built a 22-13 lead after ten minutes. The Gamecocks battled back, but it was the Hawkeyes with a slim 38-37 halftime lead. Normally the part of the game where South Carolina goes on a run, it was Iowa with a 10-2 run to open up a nine-point advantage. A 4-0 run to start the fourth quarter gave the Gamecocks a 60-59 lead, but Caitlin Clark stepped up.

She scored 16 of Iowa’s 18 points and assisted on the other basket, as the Hawkeyes knocked off the undefeated Gamecocks to advance to their first ever national title game. Iowa led for 35:53 of the 40:00 minutes, while Caitlin Clark scored 41 points for the second straight game. Monika Czinano added 18 points on 6/8 shooting and was 6/6 from the free throw line.

“I’m so proud of my women because I think they’re the only people that really believed. I don’t think anybody else, unless you were in black and gold, believed that we were going to win that game,” said head coach Lisa Bluder. “The women in that circle, they believed, and we prepared all week as if we were going to win this game.”