The Iowa Hawkeyes, the No. 1 seed in the women’s NCAA tournament, are aiming to return to the Sweet 16, but it won’t be easy against the No. 8 West Virginia Mountaineers.
The Hawkeyes defeated the Mountaineers 64-54, but had to find their way to victory in surprising fashion.
Iowa fell behind early in the first quarter, trailing 11-5, but managed to escape with a 20-15 lead.
However, scoring was very low for both teams in the second quarter, resulting in a halftime score of 26-24 in favor of Iowa.
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No. 45 Hannah Stuelke of the Iowa Hawkeyes plays against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the second round of the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 25, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. Shoot the ball over number 00 Jayla Hemingway. (Rebecca Gratz/NCAA Photo via Getty Images)
Many looked at the schedule and saw this game as a likely loss, but even if the Hawkeyes were to pull out a win, the Mountaineers would prove to be a relentless opponent in the second half.
The third quarter ended with a 48-38 lead, and it looked like the game was over for Iowa. But the game was tied with 5:18 left in the fourth quarter after Jayla Hemingway hit a 3-pointer to put an exclamation point on a 10-0 run.
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The Hawkeyes finally got into the game in the fourth when Sidney Affolter made both free throws to take the lead. But the scoreboard went back and forth as West Virginia struggled to tie it again before Iowa State tried to pull away.
It finally happened for the Hawkeyes as Affolter hit one free throw to go up three points and West Virginia started going cold off the field. Hemingway and JJ Cunally were unable to make 3-pointers as they tried to take the lead late.
Guard #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes goes to the basket in the first half against guard #10 Jordan Harrison of the West Virginia Mountaineers during the second round of the 2024 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship. March 25, 2024, Iowa City, Iowa. (Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
As a result, the Mountaineers were forced to foul to capitalize on their chances, but they did send NCAA all-time points leader Caitlin Clark to the free-throw line. Clark knocked down a free throw attempt in the final minute and finished with a game-high 32 points. Hannah Stuelke also breathed a sigh of relief as she made the final free throw to seal the victory.
Clark made all but one of his 12 free throws, but compared to his usual performance, he was 8-of-22 from the field (36.4%) and 5-of-14 from 3-point range. His shooting performance was below average. Clark also added eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.
For the Hawkeyes, Affolter had 13 points and seven rebounds on 4-of-6 shooting from the field and 5-of-5 from the charity stripe, while Stuelke had a double-double with 11 rebounds and 12 points.
Caitlin of the Iowa Hawkeyes reacts after playing the West Virginia Mountaineers during the second round of the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 25, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa.・Clark (22). (Rebecca Gratz/NCAA Photo via Getty Images)
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Quinerly made 6 of 14 field goals for the Mountaineers, but was the leading scorer with 15 points. For West Virginia, Hemingway had 10 points off the bench, and Kaia Watson also had 13 points and seven rebounds.
Despite having one of the most lethal offensive players to ever step on the hardwood, top-seeded teams aren’t immune to upsets when March Madness is on the schedule. do not have. But that won’t be the case Monday night, when Iowa State advances to the Sweet 16 and takes on No. 5 Colorado State later this week.
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