Maryland women’s basketball unable to contain Caitlin Clark and No. 3 Iowa in 93-85 loss

Caitlin Clark held possession of the ball at the top of the key with seconds winding down in the first quarter.

The guard dribbled to the right and stepped back against Jakia Brown-Turner behind the arc. Clark’s three pointer swam down the net in front of a sold-out Xfinity.

The senior had the ball again with the first half dwindling down. The crowd erupted even louder as Clark drove to the basket and notched her 23rd point of the half. 

Clark erupted for 38 total points as Maryland women’s basketball had no answer for the All-American. The Terps fell to No. 3 Iowa as a result, 93-85 – their fourth straight loss. 

“This is a huge win for us,” Clark said. “… Maryland’s had really, really good teams. You look up in the rafters and it’s National Championship, Final Four, Elite Eight … and I think that just speaks to what Brenda [Frese] has been able to do here and this is a big win for our program.”

It took all of one possession and 16 seconds for Clark to put points on the scoreboard. Clark dribbled to the right wing and set her feet, releasing the ball to the sound of a swishing net seconds later. 

Clark opened the game with 14 first-quarter points on 5-8 shooting from the field and four three’s — including a make from the halfcourt logo. Clark rested for an early portion of the second quarter as the Hawkeyes built a nine-point lead. She returned with 5:08 left in the frame and scored nine more points to extend the lead to 14 by halftime. 

Iowa held on to a double-digit lead for the first three minutes of the third quarter before back-to-back baskets by Lavender Briggs and Shyanne Sellers shortened the deficit to eight with 6:20 left in the frame. The Terps then went on a 13-5 run to erase the lead and briefly jump ahead by two. 

Bri McDaniel led Maryland’s attack in the third period. The sophomore scored 11 points in the frame, while Brown-Turner chipped in eight points in the quarter.

“We knew they were gonna make another run. That’s just what their teams do,” Clark said. “I think at times Maryland’s record doesn’t show how bad Maryland is.”

The Hawkeyes responded promptly with eight unanswered points of its own and a pair of free throws by Clark with 4.3 seconds left in the third frame to stay ahead by seven. The Terps’ offense sputtered over the final 3:47 of the quarter, failing to register a field goal.

Clark scored 10 more points in the third to bring her point total to 33 at the end of the frame. 

Maryland tied the game again with 6:17 left in the fourth quarter after Sellers connected on two frees. But again Clark responded — drilling her seventh three of the game. Iowa remained ahead the rest of the way, closing the game on a 17-9 run.

“We can’t start off slow … we have to come out punching first and just playing Maryland basketball,” McDaniel said. “We got to play a whole 40 minute game together.”

Brown-Turner notched her fifth straight 20-point game with a team-high 25 point effort, including shooting four of five from beyond the arc. The scoring mark marked her season high as the graduate student has averaged 20 points in the past seven games. 

McDaniel also reached the 20-point mark alongside Brown-Turner for the fourth time this season, scoring 22 points herself, as Maryland scored its most points since Jan. 20. But the Terps’ struggles to contain Clark proved too much to overcome.

The Terps will look to break their losing streak in a Tuesday matchup at Rutgers up next.