IOWA CITY — It wasn’t like Iowa was playing badly late in the first half on Friday — a double-digit rise without much resistance is hardly a concern — but the standard is high for blistering starts as a first in the series.
A No. 1 or a No. 2 in your name, and everyone expects a huge lead before the fans are even seated.
Then, in an instant, the Hawkeyes showed why their firepower is hard for anyone to match.
An energetic three-minute halftime push saw five different goals from the Hawkeyes, as Lisa Bluder’s side zapped any lingering confidence the 15th seed from Southeast Louisiana might have possessed with a quick push. That halftime push propelled No. 2 seed Iowa to a blistering 95-43 victory in front of a loud and proud Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
With the win, the Hawkeyes advance to Sunday’s second-round game against No. 10 seed Georgia at 2 p.m. on ABC — in what’s already sold out, too. The Bulldogs knocked down No. 7 seed Florida State in Game 1 on Friday.
“It just took us a second to take a deep breath, settle into the game,” said veteran guard Kate Martin, “and then we showed we were okay from there.”
Before Iowa could even think of entertaining the Dawgs, he had to avoid what had never been done before. A 15-seeded has never knocked down a No. 2 in the NCAA Women’s Tournament. It didn’t seem like a good time for the premier in front of a packed house that waited in line for hours.
And again, the Lady Lions never generated a serious surge of upset even in the first half – but Carver-Hawkeye Arena were ready to rock for something even more impressive than what they witnessed. Iowa agreed with a versatile run that showcased just about everything the Hawkeyes have to offer.
“We weren’t playing to our best potential,” Iowa guard Gabbie Marshall said, “and we all knew it.”
It started like a lot of Iowa’s energizing stretches, with Hannah Stuelke making an effort play as bodies collided in the post. The Cedar Rapids Washington product put together a tough offensive array and followed with a drop to put the Hawkeyes up 13.
Then came a nice Caitlin Clark Variety Pack. The probable National Player of the Year followed Stuelke’s bucket with her own layup, then swept Southeast Louisiana to midcourt, then hit Molly Davis with a passing ball pass in transition that resulted in another impressive bucket.
The Lady Lions were called for an intentional foul on the play, which led to two free throws from Martin, before another layup from Stuelke made it a 10-0 run in Iowa in 70 seconds fast.
“When we do races like that, the crowd gets really loud. It’s obviously going to disrupt the other teams and play to our advantage,” Clark said. “Molly escapes and gets an and-1, things like that. That run was super important for us, and I thought we got through it in the second half.”
After a SELA hat-trick, the Hawkeyes closed the half with two free throws from Davis and a rare layup from Addison O’Grady on another assist from Clark, sending the Hawkeyes into the locker room with a solid 54 advantage. -32. Iowa’s cushion never dipped below 20 points the rest of the way.
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Clark finished three boards from a triple-double, racking up 26 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds while sitting out much of the fourth quarter. Monika Czinano added 22 more points missing just two of her 12 shots. Stuelke’s efforts resulted in 13 points and five rebounds in just 14 minutes.
“We started out rusty, but we haven’t played for two weeks,” Stuelke said. “So I think that helped a bit. But it was a good game to come back to because we have a great team (which we face) on Sunday.”
All in all, it was an uneventful NCAA Tournament opener for the Hawkeyes – exactly what they wanted. Iowa flexed its muscles late in the half when it needed to and used that momentum to reach the finish line without drama. The focus didn’t waver either later as the Iowa defense held Southeast Louisiana to a jaw-dropping 11 points in the second half, including just two in the fourth.
Now comes the time for Iowa to conquer what eluded them last season. The Hawkeyes have an almost identical chance of overcoming the pain of Creighton and qualifying for weekend two of the NCAA Tournament. The opportunity now has Iowa’s full attention after Friday’s blowout win.
Dargan Southard is a sports trendsetter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com