Associated Press Nov 10, 2023 12:39am ET3 minutes read
Caitlin Clark’s 44-point night helps Iowa hold off Virginia Tech
Caitlin Clark unleashes 44 points to help No. 3 Iowa defeat No. 8 Virginia Tech in Clark’s ninth 40-point game of his career.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks could only shake his head when asked if he tried to slow down Caitlin Clark, the Iowa women’s college basketball sensation.
“I love my girls [on my team]“But sometimes you play checkers and she plays chess,” Brooks said. “She’s so good.”
Clark wasn’t just good on Thursday night, she was great.
The 2023 Associated Press Player of the Year scored 44 points and eight rebounds to lead No. 3 Iowa to an 80-76 victory over No. 8 Virginia Tech in a battle of Final Four teams from a year ago that the Exceeded expectations.
Clark scored 13 of 31 points and had five three-pointers. She got to the basket with relative ease, converted several one-handed layups and repeatedly found her way to the foul line. She made 13 of 17 free throws, and anyone who tried to guard her soon found herself in foul trouble and sitting on the bench next to Brooks.
She was uncatchable on almost every possession, even though the Hokies knew she was getting the ball.
When she wasn’t scoring, Clark was making those around her better. She finished the game with six assists, but could have easily had 10 or more if her teammates hadn’t repeatedly missed easy layups.
“She’s a generational player and we’re going to be watching this young lady play for a very long time and she’s going to play at a very high level,” Brooks said.
More than 15,000 spectators descended on Charlotte, North Carolina on a weekday, many coming just to see Clark play, which is not uncommon across the country. Wherever the Hawkeyes played last year, the host city saw a dramatic increase in attendance to over 3,000 just to see Clark.
The Spectrum Center was a predominantly Hokies crowd, and at times there were boos for the officials from Tech fans who thought Clark was getting too many calls coming her way.
But everyone got to see quite a show.
After the horn sounded, young children wearing No. 22 Iowa jerseys streamed to the arena tunnel to get her autograph as she left the floor. She signed for a few minutes before being called into the locker room.
Clark called it an amazing atmosphere, not unlike a Final Four game — an atmosphere that certainly beats playing in front of cardboard cutouts and a few family members at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Honestly, it’s unbelievable,” Clark said of the attention. “It seems like there are a lot of people who are just fans of our game, whether they’re Iowa fans or Virginia Tech fans or just people who are here to support women’s basketball. And that’s why this game was held, because they understand how great women’s basketball is and how much it’s growing.”