No. 8-seed West Virginia drops gritty battle with Caitlin Clark, No. 1-seed Iowa
By Joseph Smith
No. 8-seed West Virginia women’s basketball dropped a heartbreaking 64-54 loss to No. 1-seed Iowa inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa on Monday night.
Despite holding the Hawkeyes to their second-lowest scoring performances of the season, the Mountaineers were unable to handle the ferocious Caitlin Clark, who dropped a 32-point performance in her final home game of her collegiate career and earned the record for the most single-season points in NCAA Women's Basketball history.
"I know I've given everything to this program," Clark said after the game. "I'm grateful and I'm thankful."
The Mountaineers had the game tied late in the fourth quarter, but the 2023 national runners-up Iowa used their tournament experience to grind out the win late.
"This team was never flustered and I think that speaks to our experience," Clark said after the win.
Foul trouble and struggles on the offensive boards defined the performance for WVU, as they tallied 26 personal fouls to Iowa's 10 personal fouls and were outrebounded 42-34 on the evening.
The Mountaineers were led by J.J. Quinerly, who tallied 15 points before fouling out late in the game. Kyah Watson added 13 points and Jayla Hemingway added 10 points for the Mountaineers.