Iowa

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

Published

9 months 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

Fatal crash on I-35 in Iowa

Published

13 mins ago

October 13, 2024

Press Room

NORTHWOOD, Iowa (KTTC) – One person is dead after a single-vehicle crash Sunday afternoon in Worth County.

According to Iowa State Patrol, around 1:45 p.m., a vehicle was traveling southbound on Interstate 35 in Worth County near the 208-exit ramp. The driver lost control of the vehicle, went into the median, through the cable barrier and struck the bridge pillar.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Iowa

Updating Iowa State rankings in college football polls ahead of UCF matchup

Published

8 hours ago

October 13, 2024

Press Room

Updating Iowa State rankings in college football polls ahead of UCF matchup

The latest college football polls have been released, and Iowa State keeps moving up.

Iowa State improved to 6-0 after beating West Virginia 28-16 on Saturday in Morgantown.

The Cyclones are now set for a matchup at home vs. UCF on Saturday, Oct. 19.

Iowa State rankings update

Where did Iowa State land?

On Sunday, Iowa State checked in at No. 12 in USATODAY US LBM coaches poll. Previously, the Cyclones were No. 13.

Iowa State climbed up to No. 9 in the newest AP Top 25 college football poll. Last week, the Cyclones were No. 11.

US LBM Coaches Poll

Here is a look at the new US LBM college football coaches poll top 25.

Texas
Oregon
Penn State
Georgia
Ohio State
Miami (Fla.)
Alabama
LSU
Clemson
Tennessee
Notre Dame
Iowa State
BYU
Texas A&M
Ole Miss
Missouri
Kansas State
Indiana
Boise State
Pittsburgh
Illinois
Michigan
SMU
Army West Point
Nebraska

Schools Dropped Out

No. 16 Oklahoma; No. 17 Utah

Others Receiving Votes

Oklahoma 81; Arizona State 49; Navy 37; Utah 31; Vanderbilt 26; Syracuse 13; UNLV 12; Iowa 12; Texas Tech 9; Liberty 9; Washington State 8; Memphis 4; Louisville 4; James Madison 3; Tulane 2

AP Poll

Here is a look at the new Associated Press college football poll top 25

Texas
Oregon
Penn State
Ohio State
Georgia
Miami (Fla.)
Alabama
LSU
Iowa State
Clemson
Tennessee
Notre Dame
BYU
Texas A&M
Boise State
Indiana
Kansas State
Ole Miss
Missouri
PIttsburgh
SMU
Illinois
Army West Point
Michigan
Navy

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES:

Vanderbilt 68, Nebraska 62, Arizona St. 39, Oklahoma 36, Washington St. 32, Iowa 29, Texas Tech 18, Syracuse 13, Arkansas 13, Utah 7, Louisville 6, Southern Cal 5, Liberty 2, UNLV 1.

Reach Eugene Rapay at erapay@gannett.com and follow him on X/Twitter @erapay5.

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Iowa

Becht, Hansen lead No. 11 Iowa State over West Virginia 28-16 for first 6-0 start since 1938

Published

16 hours ago

October 13, 2024

Press Room

Becht, Hansen lead No. 11 Iowa State over West Virginia 28-16 for first 6-0 start since 1938

Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht believes the Cyclones have yet to hit their peak during their best start in 86 years.

Carson Hansen rushed for three scores, Becht threw a touchdown pass and No. 11 Iowa State beat West Virginia 28-16 on Saturday night.

The Cyclones (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) opened the season with six wins for the first time since 1938.

“I feel like we haven’t even played our best game yet as a whole — special teams, defense, and offense,” Becht said. The goal is “finding ways to get better each and every single week, and our mindset is just 0-0 and trying to win that next game.”

Iowa State forged a first-place tie in the league with BYU and idle Texas Tech.

The Cyclones broke open a close game by scoring two touchdowns after intercepting West Virginia’s Garrett Greene in the second half.

Becht found Eli Green on passes of 12 and 34 yards on consecutive plays to set up the Cyclones at the West Virginia 17. A third-down holding call on West Virginia cornerback Ayden Garnes gave Iowa State first-and-goal at the 3, and Hansen scored on the next play for a 21-10 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Jontez Williams made his third interception of the season on West Virginia’s next drive, and Iowa State took over at the Mountaineers’ 34. Hansen ran for 20 yards on the ensuing drive, capped by his 2-yard scoring run for a 28-10 lead with 4:42 left.

Hansen, a sophomore who also scored on an 11-yard run in the second quarter, finished with 96 rushing yards, one shy of the career high he set last week against Baylor. He ran for a total of 67 yards during an injury-filled freshman season.

“For him to consistently play the way he has the last couple of weeks, it’s awesome to watch,” Becht said.

West Virginia (3-3, 2-1) was held to 148 rushing yards against the league’s top defense after amassing 389 yards on the ground a week ago at Oklahoma State. The Mountaineers were hurt by several high snaps that threw off their timing and runs parallel to the line of scrimmage that lost yardage.

“In the second half, when it was winning time, we didn’t win,” said West Virginia coach Neal Brown. “We struggled to get into a rhythm.”

Becht completed 18 of 26 passes for 265 yards, including a 60-yard scoring toss to Jaylin Noel in blown coverage in the second quarter.

Becht’s father, Anthony, was honored on the field after the first quarter for his induction into the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. He played tight end for the Mountaineers from 1996-99 and 11 seasons in the NFL.

“You couldn’t ask for a greater night for his family,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said.

Rocco Becht said he wished he could have been there with his dad, “but I had bigger things going on trying to win this game.”

Jahiem White had an 8-yard scoring run and a 10-yard TD catch for West Virginia. Greene finished 18 of 32 for 206 yards.

Iowa State: The Cyclones answered the challenge on both sides of the ball in winning their seventh straight road game. Becht played smart and efficient, and the nation’s sixth-best scoring defense was stout again.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers many too many mistakes at key times and now have lost eight consecutive games to ranked opponents.

Iowa State might have a tough time moving up when the AP poll comes out on Sunday. The Cyclones were tied at No. 11 with Notre Dame, which beat Stanford 49-7.

Iowa State: Hosts UCF on Saturday night.

West Virginia: Hosts No. 18 Kansas State on Saturday night.

___ Get alerts on the latest AP Top 25 poll throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

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