Indianapolis (AP) — Caitlin Clarke and Monica Chinano wore championship hats, cut off the net and danced with their teammates on the midcourt. Also.
No, only this Sunday. 12 Iowa celebrated with confetti flying in the air. It was worth it.
Czinano scored 30 points, 10 rebounds, Clark added 18 points, and Hawkeyes defeated No. 14 Indiana74-67 in Indianapolis to win his second big tent tournament title in four years. Motivation is the only motivation for making this a weekly routine.
After being named the tournament’s best player, Clark said, “I want to reduce the net even more.”
Hawk Eyes (23-7) is certainly playing as if he were hoping for more victory celebrations.
They won seven straight games. The first four won the share of the first Big Ten Regular Season titles since 2008, and the last three won the tournament titles. They won both for the first time in school history and can now host first and second round home games in two weeks.
The Sunday victory also gave Lisa Bruder her third tournament title, bringing her record 26th victory in conference tournament play. And when Clark struggled in his third match against Iowa’s Hoosiers in 16 days, they did that by relying on Czinano’s dominant postplay.
Indiana coach Teri Moren mentioned Czinano, “she doesn’t even dribble for half an hour, so it puts a lot of pressure on you.” You’re late for double, she’s going to let you play. “
Czinano has played four days in a row and has repeatedly cashed against tired Indiana, who recorded his thirteenth match on the 31st.
Graceberger finished with 20 points and Nicole Cardano Hillary scored 19 in Indiana (22-8), but eventually Hoosiers declined in the closest conference championship game since 2015.
Still, Hoosiers were within 51-48 after three innings and continued to fight after giving up the fourth straight point and opening the fourth.
They approached 60-57 with Cardano Hillary’s three pointers, with 6:37 remaining, but Hawkeye answered with four straights, never allowing the Hoosiers to be closer than the remaining four points.
“I just processed the last one and now I have another one,” Czinano said. “We have worked so hard that this team deserves it above all else.”
Big picture
Indiana: If you win three times in the first three days of the tournament, you can be assured that Hoosiers will host the NCAA tournament game. And even if they can’t win the meeting, they’ll give some momentum to their post-season play.
Iowa: Hawkeye is rolling — even offnight for the country’s top scorers. Clark was 6 out of 17 from the field and had only two assists. Still, Iowa still won, largely thanks to Czinano’s dominant postplay.
Meaning of pole
Indianapolis: The Hoosiers weren’t in serious danger of falling out of the top 25 in the tournament. However, participation in the title game certainly helps their proceedings, and consecutive wins in No. 11 Maryland and No. 13 Ohio may help them file a proceeding to return to the Top 10. ..
Iowa: With a strong finish in the regular season, Hawkeye rose nine spots last week. If you win the league title, you should be in the top 10 this week. The only question is how high they can climb.
All tournament team
Clark may have won the tournament’s highest award, but Czinano also won her vote and was selected for the entire tournament team. Burger and Cardano Hillary were also selected for the team closed by Jacey Sheldon.
STAT pack
Indiana: Mackenzie Holmes and Alexa Galve each scored 11 points. … Burger, Cardano-Hillary and Galve each recorded seven rebounds and Holmes recorded six rebounds. Burger also assisted four times. .. Hoosiers has appeared in the title game for the second time since winning the title in 2002.
Iowa: Clark finished with seven rebounds. .. Kate Martin had 14 points and 8 assists, the best in her career. … Hawkeye was 2 out of 14 with 3 points. … Iowa was seeded second in all three championship runs.
next
Indiana: We are waiting for the NCAA Tournament Pairing release next Sunday.
Iowa: Find out who they will host when the NCAA tournament releases the brackets next Sunday.
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