In a bounce-back game that reminded everyone why they're one of the top teams in the country, the Iowa women's basketball team, led by guard Caitlin Clark, secured a 101-85 victory over Illinois on Sunday. Coming off a disheartening 86-69 loss to Indiana, the No. 4 ranked Hawkeyes displayed a level cohesion that was missing in their previous outing. Clark, who has been sensational throughout the season, notched her 16th career triple-double with 24 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, marking her fifth triple-double of the season.

Clark candidly acknowledged the challenges faced during the Indiana game.

“We felt like we were really sped up on offense at Indiana,” Clark said, via Michael Voepel of ESPN. “We also just didn't make shots. We took a lot of good shots, but there were also a lot of things we could have done a lot better on the offensive end. Coming back here, you want to have a really good performance and feel really great about yourself going into the last week of regular-season play. I thought that's exactly what we did.”

Iowa's head coach Lisa Bluder praised the team's shooting and the varied contributions from the players, emphasizing the importance of having multiple scoring threats to ease the burden on Clark.

“I'm really happy with the way we shot the ball from a variety of people,” Bluder said. “For us to be really successful, that's what we have to be. We want people to step up, because it makes Caitlin's job easier.”

With only two games remaining in the regular season, including a crucial matchup against Ohio State on Sunday, the Hawkeyes are looking to maintain their momentum. Clark's leadership and the team's collective resilience will be key as they aim for a strong finish and look ahead to postseason play.

“Hopefully, it was just a good learning experience for us at Indiana and showed us things we have to clean up,” Clark said. “Their environment was great, so that could have sped us up, too. So just staying a little more calm.”

The victory over Illinois wasn't just another win for Iowa or for Clark. Prior to the game, the Hawkeyes celebrated Clark's monumental achievements by affixing a “22 Clark” decal on the Carver-Hawkeye Arena floor, commemorating the spot of her deep 3-pointer against Michigan on Feb. 15, which set the NCAA women's basketball scoring record.

“It's super special; that's something I'll always remember,” Clark said.

The guard's impressive tally now stands at 3,617 points, inching closer to breaking the women's major-college record and surpassing NCAA Division I men's record holder Pete Maravich's 3,667 points.