Takeaways as Iowa Hawkeyes hold off Maryland’s comeback efforts in gutsy win
Saturday’s game at Maryland certainly was not easy for the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Terrapins gave Iowa everything it could handle and then some in front of a sellout crowd.
The Hawkeyes ended up pulling away and left College Park with a 93-85 win in which Caitlin Clark, Molly Davis and Kate Martin put on a masterclass of winning guard play.
The win pushes the Hawkeyes to a 21-2 overall and 10-1 in the Big Ten. They sit atop the conference all alone. The win also provided a look at the intangibles this team possesses. The Hawkeyes showed resiliency and didn’t back down from the big moment when the game could have gotten away from them. That is a big lesson to take into March.
Check out the biggest takeaways from Iowa’s impressive road win as it held off the Terrapins’ comeback efforts.
Molly Davis and Kate Martin came up huge
Molly Davis and Kate Martin stepped up under some of the brightest lights and had, arguably, their best performances of the year. The two were instrumental.
Davis had 17 points and four rebounds while Martin had a double-double: 15 points and 10 rebounds. These two opened the floor for Caitlin Clark and contributed huge numbers.
Iowa is dominating the paint
This Iowa team seems determined to win the battle down low in the paint. It has shown the ability to do so and did it once again.
Iowa outrebounded Maryland, 48-32. It also outscored the Terrapins in the paint, 44-34. If Iowa can play down low like this consistently it is nearly impossible to guard.
3s keep falling
The Hawkeyes can play down low, but they make a lot of their money connecting from deep. They once again succeeded against Maryland with 12 made 3-pointers.
Molly Davis, Caitlin Clark, Gabbie Marshall and Sydney Affolter connected from deep, which shows the difficulty teams have defending against the Hawkeyes’ guards.
Caitlin Clark answers the bell AGAIN
What Caitlin Clark is doing is borderline unheard of in college basketball. Time and time again she is put in prime time with all eyes on her, and she somehow gets better.
Clark went into a hostile environment Saturday night and refused to lose this game. Her 38 points and 12 rebounds are another double-double. Her seven made 3s spurred Iowa onward.
This team showed resiliency
Quite possibly the largest and most important takeaway from this game is the resiliency this team showed. The third quarter was very dicey: The Terrapins outscored Iowa, 28-21, and even took a lead at one point.
Maryland went on a 27-7 run to take a 65-63 lead late in the third quarter. The Hawkeyes simply bounced back with a 10-1 lead to head into the fourth quarter and never looked back.
That type of resiliency, toughness and grit is what it takes in March when things get tough. This Iowa team has that fight in them.
