Credit: Lily Smith/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK
Caitlin Clark overcame a slow start to score 34 points on Sunday, helping No. 3 Iowa outlast Nebraska for a 94-89 overtime win to capture the Big Ten Conference tournament championship in Minneapolis.
Clark had four points at halftime and missed all nine of her 3-point shot attempts before finding her groove. She scored 30 points during the second half and overtime, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 51 seconds remaining in overtime that gave the second-seeded Hawkeyes the lead for good.
Iowa (29-4) clinched its third consecutive Big Ten tournament championship. Clark sealed the win when she made a steal, dribbled the length of the court and happily flipped the ball high into the crowd as the buzzer sounded.
Alexis Markowski collected 23 points and 13 rebounds to lead fifth-seeded Nebraska (22-11). Natalie Potts added 21 points before fouling out for the Cornhuskers.
Iowa outscored Nebraska 17-12 in overtime to secure the victory.
The Cornhuskers seized an 87-86 lead with 1:11 remaining in overtime. Logan Nissley drilled a 3-pointer in front of Nebraska’s bench as her teammates cheered from behind.
Clark answered 16 seconds later. She drove toward the free-throw line, stepped back to create separation, and buried a 3-pointer to give Iowa an 89-87 advantage.
Twelve seconds later, Clark stole the ball from Nebraska’s Jaz Shelley and drew a foul. She made both free throws to increase the lead to 91-87 with 38 seconds left.
Markowski made a layup to pull the Cornhuskers within 91-89 with 19 seconds to go.
Iowa finished the scoring with three free throws, including one by Kate Martin and two by Hannah Stuelke, before Clark’s game-ending steal.
Nebraska led 46-35 at the half.
The Hawkeyes relied on a 16-4 run to grab a 53-52 lead with 2:25 to play in the third quarter. Clark made a layup on a give-and-go play to finish the run, which gave Iowa its first lead since early in the first quarter.
–Field Level Media