IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Caitlin Clark had 22 points and 12 assists while Monika Czinano added 20 points to help Iowa beat Georgia 74-66 in a women’s second-round NCAA tournament game on Sunday.
The Seattle Regional 4 No. 2 Hawkeyes (28-6) advance to the ninth Sweet Sixteen in program history.
Gabbie Marshall added 15 points and McKenna Warnock had 14 for Iowa, erasing the memory of last season’s second-round home loss to No. 10 Creighton.
Clark, an Associated Press All-American from the first team, went scoreless for 13 minutes in the first half but scored 14 points in the second half as the Hawkeyes eventually shook off the 10th-seeded Lady Bulldogs (22-12). She made just 6 of 17 shots, but scored or assisted almost every point the Hawkeyes made in the second half.
Georgia, a No. 10 seed, came within 68-66 on a 3-pointer from Audrey Warren with 2:17 in the game, but the Lady Bulldogs would not score another goal, making three straight turnovers and missing a layup.
Iowa led by as much as 10 points in the first half behind Marshall and Warnock, who combined for five 3-pointers to open the second quarter. But a 14-3 run by the Lady Bulldogs gave them a 35-34 lead and it took a late surge to give the Hawkeyes a 41-40 half-time lead.
Diamond Battles led Georgia by 21 points. Brittney Smith and Javyn Nicholson each had 12 points.
CHAIRS OFF
Iowa had to do without freshman Hannah Stuelke. Stuelke, sixth Big Ten player of the year, suffered an ankle injury in practice Saturday.
Stuelke scored 14 points and made all five shots in Friday’s 93-45 first round win over Southeastern Louisiana. She averages 7 points and 4.2 rebounds.
BIG PICTURE
Georgia: The Lady Bulldogs missed their first appearance in the Sweet Sixteen since 2013 but ended Katie Abrahamson-Henderson’s first season as head coach on a strong note. Georgia had won nine of their 12 games before Sunday’s game.
Iowa: The Hawkeyes were 13 points below their state-best average of 87.8 points, but came up with enough offense on Georgia’s zone defense that forced 17 turnovers in Iowa.
___
Coverage of AP March Madness: and and
Source