Caitlin Clark did Caitlin Clark things yet again on Tuesday night. No. 4-ranked Iowa hosted a strong, two-loss Michigan State team and it came down to the buzzer. Literally.
The Spartans worked back from an eight-point first quarter deficit to take a 37-35 lead at the break. The Hawkeyes tied things up right out of the break and both teams battled back and forth during the second half.
Clark, who dropped 40 points in 37 minutes, out-scored the rest of her team combined by two points. She was on fire and hit 41% from the field while knocking down eight triples.
The final shot of the night was the most important.
Iowa and Michigan State were tied at 73 with 23 seconds left in the game. Clark, of course, got the ball off of the inbounds pass.
She proceeded to dance around the defense as the clock ticked down. And then, with less than one second remaining, Clark pulled up to drain the game-winner.
The ball left her hand with 0.1 seconds left and her foot was literally on the logo. Ice cold.
Iowa’s cinematic on-court look at the shot and the reaction was remarkable.
The moments you dream about. @CaitlinClark22 x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/I9cwmG41Fs
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) January 3, 2024
While Clark’s game-winner is the highlight that grabbed headlines on Wednesday morning, and deservedly so, it overshadowed one of the most vicious blocks in college basketball history. It was her only block of the night and it was crucial for the Hawkeyes in that moment.
Caitlin Clark swatted Spartans point guard Moira Joiner into next year. She came flying in from behind, leaped up with perfect timing and sent the shot attempt back to the three-point line.
Goodness gracious!
We knew Clark was like that, but her block on Tuesday night was downright disrespectful. She pursed her lips, furrowed her eyebrows and attacked Joiner’s shot with anger. It was violent!