Iowa's Caitlin Clark drops double-double as Colorado’s season ends with 89-68 Sweet 16 loss

The Buffaloes bounced out of the NCAA tournament by Hawkeyes for the second straight year

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) drives to the basket as Colorado Buffaloes guard Jaylyn / Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register / USA

Colorado entered Saturday’s regional semifinal against Iowa wanting to play the role of “villains.” Instead, it was the Hawkeyes’ hero Caitlin Clark who stole the show. College basketball’s all-time leading scorer finished with 29 points and 15 assists to lead top-seeded Iowa to an 89-68 win over 5-seed Colorado. It was a rematch of last year’s Seattle regional semifinal, which the Buffaloes lost 87-77.



Despite facing a Colorado team ranked 312th in the nation in three-point percentage defense (33.9%), the sharpshooter Clark did more damage from inside-the-arc in the first half. The redshirt-senior hit all six of her two-point field goals to pace the Hawkeyes to a 48-35 lead at the break. Clark was responsible for 32 of Iowa’s 48 points. Junior guard Kindyll Wetta led the Buffaloes in the first half with seven points off the bench.



Clark and Iowa added to their lead in the third quarter, outscoring Colorado 20-12 before finishing with the 21-point victory. Hawkeyes guard Sydney Affolter had 15 points, while Gabbie Marshall and Kate Martin each had 14. Forward Hannah Stuelke had 11 points and 10 rebounds. All five Iowa starters finished in double figures.



Junior Aaronette Vonleh led the Buffaloes with 13 points, while Frida Formann and Maddie Nolan each had 12. Senior Jaylyn Sherrod had nine points and 10 assists. The Buffaloes ended their season 24-10, with nine of those losses coming to ranked teams.



Clark and Iowa advance to the Elite Eight where they will take on 3-seed LSU on Monday in a highly anticipated rematch of last year’s title game.