IOWA CITY, Iowa — Caitlin Clark had 27 points and 10 assists and Monika Czinano added 18 points as Iowa defeated Illinois State 98-58 in a first-round NCAA Tournament game Friday.
Gabbie Marshall and Tomi Taiwo each had 13 points for the Hawkeyes (24-7), the No. 2 seed in the Greensboro Region. They'll play No. 10 seed Creighton on Sunday in the second round.
It was the 16th double-double of the season for Clark, an Associated Press first-team All-American who leads the nation in scoring at 27.4 points per game. Clark had a 15-minute scoreless stretch in the second and third quarters, but had six assists in the span during which Iowa extended its lead from nine points to 20.
JuJu Redmond led Illinois State (19-14), the No. 15 seed, with 25 points. Mary Crompton had 11.
The game was played in front of a sellout crowd of more than 14,000 people. Iowa coach Lisa Bluder predicted Thursday that the Hawkeyes would have some opening jitters, and it looked that way. Illinois State took an early 7-2 lead and Iowa missed five of its first six shots. But the Hawkeyes settled in and were up 43-29 at halftime.
PASSING 90
It was the ninth game of 90 or more points for the Hawkeyes, who are second in the nation in scoring at 84.5 points per game.
BACK HOME AGAIN
Crompton grew up in Iowa City, graduating from Regina High School.
Crompton and fellow Illinois State players Lexy Koudelka and Lexi Boles, all Iowa natives, were AAU teammates with Clark. Boles played with Clark at Dowling High School in West Des Moines.
BIG PICTURE
Iowa: No 15-seed had beaten a 2-seed coming into this tournament, and the Hawkeyes made sure that didn’t happen. Now they get Creighton, which they played in a closed preseason scrimmage last fall.
Illinois State: The Redbirds rallied to get to the tournament after winning three games in three days to win the Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship. It was their first NCAA appearance since 2008.
UP NEXT
Illinois State: Season over.
Iowa: Hosts Creighton on Sunday.
