IOWA CITY — Top-seeded Iowa women’s basketball defeated eighth-seed West Virginia, 64-54, on Monday night inside a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes advance to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the fourth time since 2019.
All-American Caitlin Clark led Iowa with 32 points and eight rebounds. Sydney Affolter added 13 points and seven rebounds, coming up clutch down the stretch. Hannah Stuelke recorded a double-double on 12 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high four blocks.
West Virginia made the first two buckets of the game to take an early 5-0 lead. The Mountaineers maintained the lead through the first seven minutes of the game. Clark downed a 3-pointer with three minutes to play in the first quarter to give the Hawkeyes their first lead.
The second quarter was a defensive battle, with the Mountaineers outscoring the Hawkeyes 9-6 in the 10 minutes of play. Iowa retained a 26-24 lead heading into the break.
The Hawkeyes broke off a 12-2 run coming out of halftime, recording their first double-digit lead of the game. Clark led the quarter with 13 points to give the Hawkeyes a 48-38 advantage with 10 remaining.
West Virginia opened the final period with a 10-0 run to tie the game with five minutes to play. Head Coach Lisa Bluder called timeout, and Affolter drilled two free throws on the ensuing possession to regain the lead. West Virginia was able to tie three more times in the final minutes but never retook the lead. Iowa broke the final tie with 2:03 remaining on a driving, and-one layup from Affolter. The play spurred a 12-0 run to send Iowa to the Sweet Sixteen.
