Poke the GOAT and great things typically don’t happen for you.
The Wisconsin Badgers tried to get under senior superstar Caitlin Clark’s skin. Mission not accomplished.
What Wisconsin wound up with was its 29th consecutive loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes. With the 96-50 beat down in Iowa City, Iowa improved to 18-1 (7-0 Big Ten), while Wisconsin fell to 8-9 (1-6 Big Ten).
Clark went off for 32 points on 18 shots with six made 3-pointers. Did you catch that, Kim Mulkey? The 6-foot guard from West Des Moines also added seven rebounds, five assists and four steals.
Along the way, Clark climbed another spot on the all-time scoring list, surpassing former Baylor great Brittney Griner.
Graduate guard Kate Martin had another terrific game, scoring 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-7 from downtown. Junior guard Sydney Affolter was Iowa’s other double-figure scorer, chipping in with 12 points on a 3-for-3 shooting night.
Iowa led, 19-15, after the first quarter, but the Hawkeyes created separation thanks to Clark’s 12 second-quarter points. Iowa led, 46-30, at halftime. A 15-0 run that closed the third quarter turned this contest into a good ol’ fashioned laugher. The Hawkeyes ran away to the finish line from there.
Iowa shot 47.5% from the floor and 40.5% from 3-point distance. The Hawkeyes connected on 15 3-pointers.
Conversely, Wisconsin shot just 31.5% from the field and just 20.0% from 3-point range. The Badgers committed 29 turnovers.
Understandably, Hawkeye social media was delighted with the performance.