The No. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes and the Caitlin Clark Show hit the road for a Wednesday night showdown against the Purdue Boilermakers from inside a sold out Mackey Arena.
Iowa (15-1, 4-0 Big Ten) enters after a pair of wins last week over Michigan State and Rutgers. The win over the Spartans included the latest bit of dramatics from Iowa’s senior superstar guard.
With the final seconds dripping away and the contest tied, Clark received a pass from sophomore forward Hannah Stuelke and then promptly drained a step-back, logo 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded to down Michigan State. She finished the contest with eight made 3-pointers and 40 points in the Hawkeyes’ thrilling 76-73 win.
Then, Clark followed it up with her 14th career triple-double in Iowa’s road romp over Rutgers. The West Des Moines product registered 29 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds against the Scarlet Knights in Iowa’s 103-69 win.
Clark’s heroics earned her a sweep of the national player of the week awards. Iowa has now won 12 games in a row.
The aforementioned Stuelke continues her emergence during her sophomore campaign. Against the Spartans, she tallied 15 points and eight rebounds. Then, against Rutgers, Stuelke was one of five Hawkeyes that finished in double figures.
Graduate guard Kate Martin scored 17 points, fifth-year guard Gabbie Marshall added 12 and junior guard Sydney Affolter chipped in with 10. Marshall’s four made 3-pointers were a real positive for the Hawkeyes in Piscataway, N.J.
Meanwhile, Purdue enters winners of three straight. The Boilermakers beat Indiana State, 79-63, on Dec. 20, Wisconsin, 89-50, on Dec. 30 and Rutgers, 77-76, on Jan. 2.
Purdue’s Saturday, Jan. 6 date at Maryland was postponed due to a leak in the XFINITY Center roof.
As game day arrives again, here’s how Hawkeye fans can watch, stream and listen to tonight’s game. Plus, a look at each team’s probable starters and game notes.