The Iowa Hawkeyes celebrate with the trophy after defeating the Indiana Hoosiers for the BIG Ten women's championship title Sunday, March 6, 2022, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Jenna Watson/IndyStar/ USA TODAY NETWORK)
Iowa Women Win B1G Tournament
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Iowa Postgame Press Conference
Indiana Postgame Press Conference
For the first time in the history of the program, Iowa Women's Basketball won Big Ten regular-season and postseason championships in the same season. The Hawkeyes defeated Indiana, 74-67, in Sunday's conference tournament title game at Indianapolis' Gainbridge Fieldhouse to accomplish the feat.
Senior center Monika Czinano led the way for the winners, scoring 30 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. She shot 13 of 18 from the floor.
Iowa All-American guard Caitlin Clark struggled with her shot, making just 6 of 17 field goals (1 of 7 on three-pointers), but still finished with 18 points and seven boards. Kate Martin stood out for the Hawkeyes Sunday, scoring 14 points and handing out a game-high eight assists to go with four rebounds and two blocks.
Iowa (23-7) won its seventh game in a row, three of which came against the Hoosiers. The run helped it clinch home-court advantage in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Those pairings were scheduled to be announced on March 14.
A three-pointer by Nicole Cardano-Hillary cut Indiana's deficit to 70-66 with two minutes, 12 seconds remaining in regulation. She came up with a steal on the Hawkeyes' next possession have the Hoosiers to cut further in Iowa's lead.
Indiana's Aleksa Gulbe missed an open three-point attempt, however, and Clark grabbed the rebound. The Hoosiers then managed just a Cardano-Hillary the rest of the way as Iowa's stingy defense included a key block by Clark.
Grace Berger scored 20 points before fouling out to pace Indiana (22-8). Cardano-Hillary added 19.
McKenna Warnok contributed eight points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals for the Hawkeyes. Gabbie Marshall led a strong Iowa defensive effort, which held the Hoosiers to 38.0 percent shooting from the floor.
The Hawkeyes shot 50.0 percent from the floor. They handed out 12 assists on 29 field goals. They held a 19-11 advantage in points off turnovers and outscored Indiana 36-26 on points in the paint.
