Ohio State women’s basketball’s winning streak ended in its final game of the regular season.
While Ohio State earned a 100-92 overtime win in its first meeting with Iowa on Jan. 21 in Columbus, the Buckeyes were unable to keep up with Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes on Sunday in Iowa City, falling 93-83 in the regular-season finale for both teams.
In the process, Clark broke Pete Maravich’s record for the most points ever scored by an NCAA basketball player of either gender. Needing 18 points to surpass Maravich entering the game, Clark – who announced Thursday she would enter the 2024 WNBA draft rather than use her fifth year of collegiate eligibility – broke the record just before halftime and scored 35 total points to lead the Hawkeyes to victory in her final regular-season game.
The loss is Ohio State’s first since the calendar year turned to 2024, snapping a 15-game winning streak for the Buckeyes. Despite the loss, Ohio State will still be the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, clinching the outright regular-season conference title when it beat Michigan on Wednesday.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #2 OHIO STATE | 19 | 20 | 25 | 19 | 83 |
| #6 IOWA | 28 | 20 | 27 | 18 | 93 |
Ohio State finishes the regular season with a 25-4 overall record and a 16-2 record in conference play.
Iowa quickly pulled out to a sizable lead in front of its home crowd on Sunday, scoring 25 of the game’s first 35 points to pull ahead by 15 points. Clark scored only three of those points but racked up five assists in the first quarter.
Ohio State cut the lead to single digits by finishing the first quarter on a 9-3 run, then started the second quarter on a 7-3 run – with Clark scoring Iowa’s only points in that timeframe – to make it a five-point game. Clark responded by scoring five straight points to build the lead back to 10, but a pair of threes by Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor brought the deficit down to four.
Clark broke Maravich’s record in the final moments of the first half when she sunk two free throws after Cotie McMahon was called for a technical foul, giving Iowa a 48-39 lead at halftime.
FOR THE ALL-TIME SCORING RECORD!!!!! CAITLIN CLARK!@CaitlinClark22 x @IowaWBB pic.twitter.com/dBHFW9k2PK
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 3, 2024
Ohio State started the second half on a 7-0 run to make it a two-point game. The Hawkeyes responded with a pair of threes from Clark and Gabbie Marshall to extend their lead back to eight.
| OHIO STATE | STAT | IOWA |
|---|---|---|
| 83 | POINTS | 93 |
| 33-65 (47%) | FGM-FGA (PCT.) | 32-64 (50%) |
| 14-30 (47%) | 3PM-3PA (PCT.) | 11-28 (39%) |
| 3-8 (38%) | FTM-FTA (PCT.) | 18-23 (78%) |
| 16 | TURNOVERS | 16 |
| 31 | TOTAL REBOUNDS | 38 |
| 7 | OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 11 |
| 24 | DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS | 27 |
| 14 | BENCH POINTS | 12 |
| 1 | BLOCKS | 3 |
| 8 | STEALS | 11 |
| 22 | ASSISTS | 20 |
The Buckeyes cut the lead back down to five before another technical foul call, this time against Rikki Harris, allowed Iowa to score five points in one possession and extend the lead back to 10 points. A subsequent 8-0 run by Iowa after a Harris free throw pushed the margin to 17. Ohio State finished the third quarter on a 10-4 run, highlighted by threes from Taylor and Sheldon, to make it an 11-point game entering the final period.
Ohio State was unable to cut the deficit to closer than eight points in the fourth quarter.
All five of Ohio State’s starters scored in double figures for the game, led by Jacy Sheldon with 24, but Iowa had four double-digit scorers of its own, led by Clark and Hannah Stuelke (23). Free throws made a big difference in the outcome as Iowa went 18-of-23 from the line while Ohio State made just three free throws on eight attempts.
Up Next
Ohio State will play in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals at 12:30 p.m. Friday, facing the winner of Thursday’s second-round game between No. 8 seed Maryland and No. 9 seed Illinois. Friday’s game from the Target Center in Minneapolis will be televised by Big Ten Network.
