Takeaways as Iowa wins heavyweight showdown over Virginia Tech
In an early-season, mega showdown from Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C., the No. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes delivered the goods in a hard-fought, 80-76, win over No. 5 Virginia Tech.
It was a battle of a pair of teams that advanced to the Final Four last spring, and the two teams put on quite the show nationally on ESPN2 and for those in attendance at the inaugural Ally Tipoff.
In the process, Iowa served up a statement to the rest of the country that these Hawkeyes aren’t going anywhere in the national picture minus post Monika Czinano and forward McKenna Warnock from last season’s squad.
“I feel like this is a really good early-season win for us,” Iowa head women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder. “We shot the ball so poorly, which is so uncharacteristic of us. But we got to the free throw line, and we did a good job on the boards.”
Let’s dive into five takeaways from this gigantic win for Iowa.
Caitlin Clark remains a cheat code
How could we start anywhere else? Caitlin Clark put Iowa on her back and took the Hawkeyes over the top and into the winner’s circle. The senior superstar was once again the clear best player on the floor in a battle of two of the sport’s titans.
Clark finished with 44 points, eight rebounds, six assists and just the lone turnover. She dictated the action in this one even on a night where she really didn’t shoot it all that well. She never got too high or too low. Clark looked like a superstar built for this spotlight and stage.
The West Des Moines product finished 13-of-31 from the floor and just 5-of-16 from 3-point range. But, she adjusted to how the game was playing out and managed to get to the cup and then get to the free throw line where she knocked down 13-of-17.
“Just the way they were calling the game, they decided to call the game close on both ends of the floor. So why not drive and make the ref call a foul? We went 18-for-22 at the line, which is pretty good,” Clark said afterwards.
Iowa found a way to win when it didn't shoot well
It wasn’t just Clark that struggled to find her normal shooting touch from downtown. As a team, Iowa finished just 6-of-26 from beyond the arc.
That included senior guard Gabbie Marshall who went 0-for-6 from 3-point distance and finished without a point in this one. Clark and Co. adjusted and found other ways to score. That’s a key detail coming out of this contest and something Iowa can feel good about moving forward.
While the 3-point marksmanship was off, the Hawkeyes relied on Marshall’s sticky defense to help turn the tide. It was symbolic of Iowa’s collective night at times in this victory.
Marshall finished with a pair of Iowa’s eight steals on the night and was one of the key cogs in a defensive effort that limited Virginia Tech to just 38.9% field goal shooting.
Hannah Stuelke is going to be special
This feels like something we more or less knew coming in, but sophomore forward Hannah Stuelke’s performance against the Hokies was incredibly encouraging.
In a game that had a Final Four-like feel to it in November, Stuelke didn’t appear fazed by the moment in the slightest. In fact, she was one of the driving forces behind Iowa’s fast start.
Behind a trio of assists from Clark and one from graduate student guard Kate Martin, Stuelke had eight points in essentially the game’s first six minutes as the Hawkeyes built a quick 13-4 advantage.
Iowa was looking for a big to step up and help replenish what the program lost with Czinano moving on. There were plenty of flashes from Stuelke last season that created confidence within the program and fan base that she was the likely candidate to help replace some of Czinano’s scoring inside.
A performance like this against Virginia Tech where Stuelke also had to tangle with two-time ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley on the defensive end only solidifies those thoughts and feelings. Stuelke finished with 12 points, four rebounds and one steal.
Is Kylie Feuerbach headed for a breakout season?
Is redshirt junior Kylie Feuerbach going to be a breakout piece for the Hawkeyes?
It sure looked that way against the Hokies. That’s huge news for a team that’s looking to continue filling out the depth of its roster. Championship teams get these types of elevating contributions from their bench.
In a pressure-packed setting, Feuerbach performed admirably. The Sycamore, Ill., native scored eight points, including a 3-pointer late in the third quarter that gave Iowa its first double-figure lead in the contest.
Feuerbach missed all of last season with an ACL injury, but she looked full-go in this one and back to 100%. She also just exuded an air of confidence. Feurbach also finished with three rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block.
Sydney Affolter was huge on the glass
The junior guard had a career day on the glass, reeling in 14 rebounds. That featured 10 on the defensive glass and four extra opportunities on the offensive end.
Iowa doesn’t win this game without Sydney Affolter’s gigantic contributions from the off the bench as well. In 26 minutes, Affolter finished with 14 rebounds, two steals and two points.
Toss that one on the resume!
In closing, celebrate this one Hawkeye fans! This was a huge win!
It’s not often a program has the star power that Iowa has right now with Caitlin Clark. And what she and the Hawkeyes continue to do is special. This team made a statement that they’re a national player again. It’s going to be another incredibly fun season in Iowa City.
This is also a big-time win for the resume. Iowa’s schedule also features a pair of games against No. 6 Ohio State, a pair against No. 9 Indiana, a game against No. 11 Maryland, and a game against No. 25 Michigan, so there’s other opportunities to impress and to add resume-building wins.
More than anything, it was just good for Iowa to put itself in this arena and test itself against an opponent like Virginia Tech. But, now that it’s all said and done and the Hawkeyes picked up the win, toss that feather in the cap.
This win over the Hokies could be one of the final selling points that earns Iowa a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament when that day comes this season.
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