Iowa

Iowa’s Clark beats buzzer, MSU with 3 from logo

Published

2 years ago

January 3, 2024

Alexa Philippou, ESPNJan 3, 2024, 12:15 AM ET
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- Covers women’s college basketball and the WNBA
- Previously covered UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant
- Stanford graduate and Baltimore native with further experience at the Dallas Morning News, Seattle Times and Cincinnati Enquirer

Reigning national player of the year Caitlin Clark added to her highlight reel Tuesday night, hitting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the fringe of Iowa’s half-court logo to secure a 76-73 victory for the host Hawkeyes over the Michigan State Spartans.

After a back-and-forth outing in which both teams led for stretches, and with the tie game’s final seconds ticking away on Iowa’s last possession, Clark drained the 3 and ran to the front row on the court’s far side to celebrate with fans.

A few seconds before, it looked like the Hawkeyes might not get a good last look and overtime was on the horizon. But forward Hannah Stuelke, standing beyond the top of the 3-point arc, passed the ball to Clark, and the guard faked right, took a dribble step-back and then launched the shot with 0.1 seconds remaining.

“We practice those plays every single day in practice,” Clark said in her postgame interview on Peacock. “That’s what we run every single time, get Hannah the ball, let me create with some space. They contested it pretty well, honestly, so lucky it went down.”

The shot earned Clark her 10th 40-point game of her career, breaking a tie with former Missouri State guard Jackie Stiles for the most of any Division I player across the past 25 seasons.

Iowa improved to 14-1 (3-0 in Big Ten), and the Hawkeyes have now won 11 straight, their longest win streak since the 2004-05 season.

Clark also reached 35 points in her fourth consecutive outing, tying Alysha Clark, who played at Belmont and Middle Tennessee, for the longest streak by a Division I player in the past 25 seasons.

The Hawkeyes won despite shooting just 41.8% compared to Michigan State’s 46.3%. Their 10 second-quarter points were their fewest of any period this season, and the Spartans led by as many as six late in the third.

“A close game, they played us really well, you’ve got to give them credit,” Clark continued. “But proud of this group. Things didn’t go our way tonight but just persevered and got through, and you walk away with a win. At the end of the day nobody’s really going to care what the score is as long as it’s a win.”

Clark didn’t have the most efficient night herself, attempting a career-high 34 shots and making just 14 of them. She also missed her first six shots of the second half, before hitting the one that counted most.

“I think I kind of struggled there, got a little hot, got a little cold, especially to start the second half,” she said. “I subbed myself out of the game to get a quick breather. But you just come back, you’ve got to let it go, and you’ve got to respond. I think that’s kind of where I’ve grown the most over the past few years.”

The West Des Moines product and presumptive No. 1 2024 WNBA pick is within reach of breaking the all-time Division I scoring record later this season. She is averaging a nation-best 31.5 points per game, the second most by a D-I player through 15 games of a season over the past 25 years. She trails only former Baylor guard Odyssey Sims, who averaged 31.8 in the same span in 2013-14.

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Iowa

McKenna Woliczko ‘just as excited’ to join Iowa women’s basketball as before

Published

9 hours ago

April 12, 2026

Press Room

McKenna Woliczko ‘just as excited’ to join Iowa women’s basketball as before

As Iowa women’s basketball signee McKenna Woliczko prepares to transition her game from the high school level to the collegiate ranks, she expressed her excitement for her freshman season in the fall during a recent interview with The Des Moines Register’s Chad Leistikow.

Although nearly every program in the nation has been affected in some way by the NCAA transfer portal, some fans had a natural concern that the Hawkeyes’ five departures could affect Woliczko’s trust in the direction of the program.

Fortunately for Iowa, the 6-foot-2 native of San Bruno, Calif., immediately put those worries to rest by reaffirming her eagerness to begin her Iowa career and to meet whoever the program brings in to fill its vacant roster spots.

“All the girls are great. I’m just as excited to come in as I was before,” Woliczko said. “People are going to leave, but we’re going to get some people. I’m really excited to see who we get.”

As Woliczko was authoring a record performance in the 2026 Nike Hoop Summit game, the Hawkeyes were in the midst of pouncing in the transfer portal. Woliczko registered a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds as Iowa landed All-SEC first-teamer Dani Carnegie out of the transfer portal to bolster its backcourt.

In a coincidental roommate switch as a result of Addie Deal and Teagan Mallegni entering the transfer portal, Woliczko will spend her first year in Iowa City with junior Ava Heiden and sophomore Layla Hays in an apartment near Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

While Woliczko mentioned that she has some nerves entering her freshman year at Iowa, she also stated that she’s thankful for the program’s all-encompassing support and is excited about the experience.

“I’m obviously really nervous. Just taking that next step, not only just living by myself but also the basketball aspect, the social aspect, all of it,” Woliczko said. “I’m just really excited to feel that new support, and having that new (basketball) family will be so awesome. … I’m so excited to experience that.”

Woliczko arrives as head coach Jan Jensen’s highest-ranked signee in her two years in charge and the program’s highest-ranked signee since Caitlin Clark in 2020.

In her 21 games played during her senior campaign, Woliczko averaged 20.2 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 69% from the floor, 81% from the free-throw line, and 40% from 3-point range. For her career, she posted averages of 21.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game on 63% shooting.

https://x.com/StavrosForever/status/2038736820976939Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews

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Iowa

Iowa makes a splash with an All-SEC guard out of the transfer portal

Published

21 hours ago

April 12, 2026

Press Room

Iowa makes a splash with an All-SEC guard out of the transfer portal

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Iowa women’s basketball was facing just six returning players for the upcoming season, but on Saturday they landed a big transfer.

Georgia’s Dani Carnegie is heading to Iowa City, she announced on social media. Carnegie was a First Team All-SEC guard with the Georgia Bulldogs.

She averaged 17.8 points per game at UGA. She was also a teammate with Chit-Chat Wright at Georgia Tech in their freshman seasons.

She’ll have two years of eligibility remaining with Iowa.

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Iowa

Killyan Toure Makes Decision on Iowa State Basketball Future

Published

1 day ago

April 11, 2026

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Killyan Toure Makes Decision on Iowa State Basketball Future

The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team is going to look a lot different during the 2026-27 season than it did at the end of the 2025-26 campaign.

Gone are the five seniors who were on the roster: Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson, Nate Heise, Dominick Nelson and Eric Mulder. Cade Kelderman, a junior guard, entered his name into the transfer portal along with Mason Williams.

Milan Momcilovic currently has his name in the 2026 NBA Draft, putting his future up in the air for a few more weeks. However, head coach T.J. Otzelberger can rest a little easier knowing some of his core rotation is coming back. Included in that group now is Killyan Toure.

As shared by François Nyam via Jonathan Givony of Draft Express on X, the talented guard will be returning to Ames for his sophomore season.

Will Killyan Toure return to Iowa State for sophomore season?

Mar 27, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Killyan Toure (27) shoots in the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers during a Sweet Sixteen game of the Midwest Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Toure was a surprise member of the starting five for the duration of his freshman season with the Cyclones. Many people predicted that spot would go to Jamarion Batemon, the highest-rated recruit the program landed in the Class of 2025, but it was Toure who earned the trust of the coaching staff.

It was easy to see why this was the case early on. He was a ready-made high-level defender right out of the gate. His tenacious effort on that end of the court enabled Iowa State to deploy Lipsey in a more rovering role at times, playing the passing lanes and creating turnovers.

The senior was very impressed with what Toure brought to the court, giving him a ton of praise for his efforts on the defensive end.

A high-floor player because of his ability on defense, the Frenchman could truly breakout as a sophomore if he can find a rhythm offensively. His confidence seemed to wane during the season, as he hit the proverbial freshman wall.

NEWS: Killyan Touré will return to Iowa State for his sophomore season, François Nyam tells DraftExpress.
The 6’3, 19-year-old French guard started 37 games for the Cyclones, playing an important role in their 29-8 record and Sweet 16 appearance with his stifling defense. pic.twitter.com/XdS1L9XL9z
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 11, 2026

Toure shot only 38.7% from the field overall during Big 12 play and 23.8% from 3-point range, leading to his minutes being scaled back slightly as Otzelberger sought more offense for the lineup.

However, that confidence on offense did start to come back during the Big 12 tournament and in the NCAA tournament.

Over the final four games of his freshman campaign, Toure averaged 14 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals in 30.5 minutes per game. He shot an impressive 55% from the field and 50% from 3-point range, knocking down 5-of-10 attempts.

Securing his return is a big win for Iowa State basketball. He has an incredibly high ceiling and is built to take the torch from Lipsey as the tone setter on the court.

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