Big Ten Daily (Feb. 9): Iowa's Hannah Stuelke Sets New Record at Carver-Hawkeye Arena
Iowa's Hannah Stuelke told Caitlin Clark to step aside on Thursday night. The sophomore forward wanted to set a record of her own, scoring a career-high 47 points and a 111-93 victory over Penn State at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
After that monster night, Stuelke now owns the record for most points scored in a single game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Her 47-point effort is the the new benchmark for both men's and women's basketball.
Stuelke didn't just pile up the points, she was incredibly efficient for the night. She connected on 17-of-20 shots from the floor and 13-of-21 from the free throw line.
The sophomore forward came up one rebound shy of a double-double, collecting nine boards.
"I think it's really cool. I remember watching Megan (Gustafson) and watching her score so many points and now, like, I'm the one the little girls look up to and I think that's just amazing," Stuelke said after the game.
Stuelke came up two points shy of setting an Iowa women's basketball record for most points in a game. Gustafson still owns the record with 48.
Clark had a solid night for Iowa, as well. She finished the game with 27 points and 15 assists in the victory. Kate Martin was sensational, posting a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds.
It was one of the most complete efforts from the Hawkeyes this season. And even though there was a lot of praise to go around, Stuelke was the one who deserved the most attention.
"I think that's what everyone's been waiting for," Clark said of Stuelke's career night. "She's had glimpses of being really, really great like that, but we all know how good she is.
"I'm just proud of her. She works so hard, she's put in so much time, especially this summer. Been dealing with a little bit of a knee injury. To come out here and play like that, it's exactly what we needed."
Penn State continues rolling
Iowa and Penn State also played on the men's side Thursday night, with a much different result. The Nittany Lions took down the Hawkeyes 89-79.
Kany Clary, the team's top scorer on the season, returned to action off the bench. He scored eight points in his first game back, playing 18 minutes. Four Nittany Lions finished the night in double figures, led by Ace Baldwin Jr., who dropped 22 points on Iowa.
Zach Hicks and Qudus Wahab each chipped in 14 and D'Marco Dunn added 12.
Penn State has now won three straight games, defeating Rutgers and Indiana on the road before taking down Iowa at home Thursday.
"As a coach, you want to pride yourself on your team getting better as the year goes on and being a tough out, as I like to say," Penn State coach Mike Rhoades said. "I tell our guys, let's work hard every day so we go to bed tired and wake up hungry."
The Nittany Lions are now 6-6 in Big Ten play this season. Believe it or not, they're still alive in the race for that all-important fourth seed in the Big Ten Tournament ‚— which secures a double-bye.
Who would've thought that would be the case just a few weeks ago?
Jaden Ivey goes off again
Former Purdue star Jaden Ivey is coming off impressive performances in back-to-back nights, leading the Detroit Pistons to consecutive wins on the West Coast.
Wednesday, Ivey poured in a career-high 37 points on 13-of-23 shooting, leading the Pistons to a 133-120 victory over the Sacramento Kings. Thursday night, Ivey did it again, scoring 26 points and connecting on all seven of his 3-point attempts.
Detroit defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 128-122 in overtime.
In the last two games, Ivey has totaled 63 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. He's made 21-of-44 of his shots (47.7%) and hit 12-of-14 shots from 3-point range (85.7%).
Ivey is in his second season with the Pistons. This year, he's averaging 15.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists.
Detroit's struggles have continued this season, sitting at 8-43 on the year. The emergence of Ivey's game has been a bright spot for the franchise, though.
Related Big Ten stories
- BIG TEN FOOTBALL RECRUITING: College football's National Signing Day was on Wednesday. Here's a look at where all 18 Big Ten teams stand on the recruiting and transfer portal front heading into spring football. CLICK HERE
- BIG TEN WOMEN'S NIL SALES: Three Big Ten women's basketball players were among the top-10 in sales at the NIL Store for the month of January. Names included Iowa's Hannah Stuelke and Gabbie Marshall, as well as Ohio State's Jacy Sheldon. CLICK HERE
- ILLINOIS SELLS OUT STATE FARM CENTER: The Illinois Fighting Illini will play in front of a sellout crowd in the four remaining home games. The State Farm Center has been sold out for the rest of the men's basketball season, which includes games against Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota and Purdue. CLICK HERE
- BIG TEN NIL SALES JANUARY: Big Ten schools accounted for six of the top-10 in sales at the NIL Store for the month of January. Purdue led the way at No. 1, with Illinois, Iowa, Ohio State, Nebraska and Indiana also making the list. CLICK HERE