Real, meaningful, counts-in-the-standings college basketball is right around the corner for both men's and women's basketball -- both teams open their regular season in Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Tuesday, November 9th, as a matter of fact -- but for now we can get a little bit of a fix from exhibition openers. These games are tune-ups for the tune-ups, but based on the available evidence, the ninth-ranked Iowa women's basketball team is already pretty finely-tuned, which they showed by thrashing Truman State 102-32 on Thursday night.
This game was over from the opening tip-off; Iowa opened the game on a 22-0 run, with Truman State not scoring their first bucket until three minutes remained in the opening period. That was also their only bucket in the opening period, as Iowa outscored them 32-2 in the first quarter.
Q1 | Iowa 32, Truman State 2@CaitlinClark22 leads the #Hawkeyes with 11 points.#Hawkeyes #FightForIowa pic.twitter.com/bQk1YzuHG5
— Iowa Women's BBall (@IowaWBB) November 4, 2021
Seems decent. Iowa continued to pour it on in the second quarter and eventually led 51-8 with just over two minutes to go before halftime. Truman State did manage to hit double-digits in the first half, but only just -- Iowa led 58-11 at the break. The third quarter was the only quarter that wasn't a one-sided rout in favor of Iowa -- Iowa outscored Truman State just 20-17 in that 10-minute session. Chastened by that so-so effort, though, Iowa responded with a 24-4 steamrolling in the fourth quarter to finish the victory with a flourish.
For the game, Iowa 57% from the floor (40/70) and 46% (11/24) from 3-point range. The only spot on the floor where they weren't molten hot was the free throw line, where they shot just 69% (11/16). Meanwhile, Truman State shot 15% from the floor (10/65) and 9% from long range (3/35). And here I thought SPOOKY SZN was over. Yikes. Iowa also doubled them up on the glass (60 to 31) and had assists on 26 of their 40 made field goals. Unsurprisingly, they hammered Truman State in the paint (50-10) and on fast breaks (20-0).
The star of the show was, of course, Caitlin Clark, who entered the 2021-22 season the way she ended the 2020-21 year: by draining ridiculous shots.
.@CaitlinClark22 from the logo #Hawkeyes #FightForIowa pic.twitter.com/BCnxnkUNFX
— Iowa Women's BBall (@IowaWBB) November 5, 2021
Just effortlessly draining a 3 FROM THE BEAK. NBD.
Clark finished with 25 points in just over 25 minutes, going 9/17 from the floor and 4/8 from beyond the arc. She added nine assists and eight rebounds and once again flirted with a triple double. Clark's usual partner-in-scoring-crime, Monika Czinano, had a quiet game with just five points and four rebounds in 15 minutes of action. McKenna Warnock posted a double-double, though, scoring 18 on 7/10 shooting and adding a team-high 10 rebounds as well. Freshman big Addison O'Grady had an Iowa debut to remember, too, going off for 19 points on 9/12 shooting. Iowa State transfer Kylie Feuerbach had nine points, three rebounds, and three assists in her Iowa debut as well.
Obviously there's a pretty big gulf in talent between Iowa and Truman State. A program like Iowa should win a game like this pretty comfortably. So Iowa did what was expected of them, but they did it with a flourish, too -- opening up a 30-point lead in the first quarter and winning by 70 is a mighty fine showing and one that deserves a tip of the cap.
NEXT: Iowa opens up the regular season with a home game against New Hampshire (6 PM CT, BTN+).
