The Iowa women's basketball team handled business Saturday as they beat Holy Cross in the round of 64, 91-65, led by superstar Caitlin Clark. However, there was some concern in the second half as the Hawkeyes were missing Hannah Stuelke, arguably their second-best player behind Clark, who is also second in scoring and rebounds.
Stuelke played only 10 minutes in the first half and suffered from some migraine symptoms, which kept her out for the rest of the game as she was scoreless and collected two rebounds.
Iowa women's basketball head coach Lisa Bluder spoke to the media after the game and went into detail about Stuelke, saying that the plan was to “kind of save her for Monday” according to Michael Voepel of ESPN.
“She didn't feel well, and it just wasn't worth putting her in there when we didn't have to have her,” Bluder said. “So just kind of save her for Monday. And I thought [Addison O'Grady] went in and did a great job.”
How the Hawkeyes fared without Stuelke for most of the game
As Bluder mentioned, Addison O'Grady was the de facto replacement for Stuelke and scored 14 points while collecting five rebounds in 14 minutes of play. Her play especially caught the attention of Clark, who expressed that O'Grady's style of play gives the team a “different dynamic” than Stuelke.
“She knows what we need her to contribute,” Clark said of O'Grady. “But also Addy just gives us a whole different dynamic than Hannah. When Coach was like, ‘Hannah's not going to go in the second half,' Addy didn't bat an eye. She was just ready.”
On the season, Stuelke is averaging 14.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 63.8 percent from the field. In terms of Stuelke, she seems to be good to go for the Hawkeyes' next matchup against West Virginia as they continue on with their quest to win a national championship.
Clark details the Hawkeyes' slow start
In terms of Saturday's game, while on paper, it seems that the Iowa women's basketball team was probably in control from the start, think again as Holy Cross was only trailing by two points after the first quarter. Clark spoke after the game about the frustrations in the first quarter and what Holy Cross did so well defensively and offensively to keep it close early.
“This is a game you want to come out and dominate from the start,” Clark said. “Maybe we played with a little bit of rust. They really packed the paint — they sat four people in there, and it's really hard to drive to the basket.
“We really started running our offense in the second quarter. I think I was a little frustrated, but I think that comes from knowing what it takes to be where we want to be.”
Clark talks about the Iowa women's basketball team's offensive explosion
Clark was once again exceptional as she scored 27 points, recorded 10 assists, and collected eight rebounds to go with three steals, proving once again why she's the best player in the sport.
However, Clark spoke about the team's effort in the contest saying that when the team is effective on defense, “that's when our offensive really thrives” as they held Holy Cross to nine points in the second period, where Iowa scored a game-high 25.
“One of the best parts of this team is we always are in a game no matter what the situation is,” Clark said. “That speaks to our offensive firepower. And when we're able to string stops together, that's when our offense really thrives.”
Even with the slow start for the Hawkeyes, they are usually due for an offensive explosion as they showed from the second quarter to the very end, Clark admits it began “clunky” but emphasized how dangerous of a team they can be as “we can really put up some offensive numbers in a short amount of time.”
“It was definitely a little clunky at times,” Clark said per ESPN. “The first quarter for sure. But the best thing is we responded in the second quarter and were able to get a significant lead. You saw how fast we were able to go on a run. That's one of the most dangerous things about our team: We can really put up some offensive numbers in a short amount of time.”
The Iowa women's basketball team has championship aspirations, especially in Clark's last season with the program as she is averaging 31.8 points, 8.9 assists, and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting 45.9 percent from the field. Their next matchup will be Monday against West Virginia in the round of 32.
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