The No. 2 Iowa women's basketball team, led by standout Caitlin Clark, defeated Drake 113-90 on Sunday to rebound from their first season setback.
“Coach Bluder challenged us when we came back to practice after the K-State game, and I thought we responded really well,” Clark told ESPN News Services. Clark scored 35 points and 10 assists, her 39th career 30-point game, breaking Kelsey Plum's Division I record of 25 seasons.
The Hawkeyes rebounded from their opening season setback, 65-58 versus Kansas State. The team responded well to Coach Lisa Bluder's challenge with high assists and low turnovers.
Lisa Bluder: “We played a little bit better than we did on Thursday night, which I was thankful for. We played Iowa basketball again—high assists, low turnovers.”
Iowa set the tone with a program-record 64 points and excellent shooting accuracy in the first half. They shot 75% in the first quarter, 65% in the half, and had 27 assists against 13 turnovers.
The reigning national Player of the Year and unanimous Associated Press preseason All-American Clark rebounded from her worst shooting night of her college career against Kansas State. She shot 14 of 22 in this game, including 5 of 11 3-pointers, up from 9-of-32 in the previous game.
She added "Sometimes you have nights when they don't go in." A career-high 25 points and 10-of-12 shooting by Kate Martin was a big improvement from her scoreless game against Kansas State.
Drake coach Allison Pohlman knew Iowa would be motivated after a setback. Drake lost to the Hawkeyes' offense despite good play.
Iowa's Sharon Goodman and Molly Davis scored 15 and 10 points, respectively. Overall, the team shot 64%, demonstrating their offensive ability and endurance.
After seeing the Hawkeyes bounce back, Caitlin Clark stressed the importance of not evaluating a team by one game.