COLLEGE PARK, MD. — A smattering of boos rained down from the Xfinity Center stands each time Caitlin Clark touched the ball on Feb. 3.
In the end, Iowa fans in attendance let out a “Let’s go Hawks” chant. Clark smirked to the fans near the media section and inbounded the ball one last time. The senior guard finished with 38 points (13 of 29 shooting), 12 assists and 6 rebounds in a 93-85 Iowa victory to lift the Hawkeyes to 21-2 overall and 10-1 in the Big Ten.
Xfinity Center seats 17,950. Each seat was packed either in Maryland red and white or Iowa black and yellow. Even as Maryland fans jeered, Iowa fans chanted her name and cheered her on after the game’s conclusion. The national broadcast on FOX featured Gus Johnson, known for his enthusiastic play-by-play and one-liners.
It’s also something that Clark has seen before throughout the season.
“I think our team is pretty used to it at this point,” Clark said. “All last season, we had 10,000-plus at home. Then, we went on the magical run that we go on and we played in front of loud crowds every step of the way. Yeah it’s changed — whether we’re on the road or at home, there’s always huge crowds. I think our team is just used it. Nobody shies away from it on the court, whether you’re on the bench or the starting five. It’s just what you’re used to at this point. You don’t have much say in it, so you better embrace it. More than anything, it’s really good for women’s basketball.”
Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder challenged her team to have multiple players in double figures. Molly Davis and Kate Martin joined Clark with 17 and 15 points, respectively. Davis parked herself in the corner, waiting for the defense to collapse on Clark for open 3-point shots. The fifth-year senior went 7-for-11 from the field and 3-for-5 from 3-point range on the night.
It all began with Davis being more aggressive.
“I think that Molly has been playing very, very well,” Bluder said. “We really needed that to happen for us to do what we want to do. Everybody knows about Caitlin, but we have to have those other people step up and contribute. I thought that Molly was fabulous, especially in the first half. I thought she was tremendous. She’s always been there, but Molly’s not a person that is going to say, ‘Give me the ball.’ She just isn’t. She’s a person that just wants this team to win, no matter what that role is.”
Clark, the nation’s leading scorer, peered into Maryland’s crowd, soaked in the vitriol and let it rip, displaying the skills that netted her AP Player of the Year and Naismith Trophy honors in 2022-23. Maryland didn’t make it particularly easy, even after falling behind 52-38 just before halftime. The Terps tied the Hawkeyes four times and there were four lead changes throughout the game, but Iowa out-rebounded Maryland, 48-32, and held the lead for 32:31.
“I think the biggest thing at halftime was that we knew they were going to make another run,” Clark said of the Terps, who moved to 12-10 overall and 4-7 in the Big Ten with the loss. “That’s what good teams do. I think at times, Maryland’s record doesn’t show how good Maryland is. Brenda [Frese] is a really, really good coach. She knows what she’s doing. She’s had a lot of success here. I really respect her.”
At the forefront of Maryland’s comeback attempt were the trio of Shyanne Sellers, Bri McDaniel and Jakia Brown-Turner. Brown-Turner finished with 25 points and McDaniel had 22. Sellers, nursing a left knee injury suffered against Penn State on Jan. 28, played with a bulky brace. She directed her team’s efforts with 14 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
Sellers fed off of the crowd’s intensity and wouldn’t have missed the game for the world, displaying her appreciation for Maryland faithful with a stat-sheet-filling performance.
“It’s a lot to do in Maryland — everything,” Sellers said. “I appreciate them coming out, but also when they decide to be a town and want to come together, they can make any atmosphere electric. It’ll be the best games in the country. I think they can compete with anybody. That’s huge for us. We need them to continue to support us and continue to do that because the crowd is our best sixth man. That’s 100 percent true.”
Clark, the 6-foot guard whose stature seemingly far exceeds her own height, found her team down 11-3 early in the game and chopped down the lead with multiple 3-pointers, one of which was a signature shot from very deep:
Clark made her mark in the paint too, slashing through Maryland’s defense for a bevy of quick layups. Her 14-point first quarter vaulted Iowa to a 27-19 lead.
She took a blow early in the second quarter, falling down to her knees and exiting the game to audible gasps from the stands. Iowa owned a 33-26 lead at that point, with 6:16 left in the half. Clark returned not too long after, finishing the half with 23 points on 9-for-16 shooting and 4-for-8 from 3-point range.
Maryland returned with a flurry of blows in the third quarter, breaking down Iowa’s lead with a 10-0 run. Sellers had six points in that span, along with jumpers by McDaniel and Lavender Briggs. The Terrapins trailed 73-66, feeding off of the crowd’s energy. They even brought the game to a 76-76 tie, but the Hawkeyes broke out with a 6-0 run and finished off the game with multiple offensive rebounds and second-chance opportunities to close it out.
Iowa will host Penn State on Feb. 8 at 9 p.m., while Maryland will visit Rutgers on Feb. 6 at 8:30 p.m.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Maryland Athletics