$3.1 million NIL-valued Caitlin Clark backs Sydney Affolter after bagging stellar 64-54 victory against WVU: "So proud of you squid"
Although she was the star of the show again, Caitlin Clark did not have the night's biggest moment as the Iowa Hawkeyes won a hotly contested second-round game 64-54 against the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Monday night's matchup against the Mountaineers was a real battle, and with the scores tied at 52-52 with less than 2:30 on the clock, it was anyone's game, leaving Carver-Hawkeye Arena a bundle of nerves.
West Virginia's JJ Quinerly had the chance to take the lead but was well-defended by Hawkeyes guard Sydney Affolter, who got the rebound and dribbled with the ball down the court, ignoring Clark, who was asking for the ball before scoring a crucial jumper.
After that, the Hawkeyes managed to close out the game, but Affolter might have saved their bacon and season.
The $3.1 million NIL-valued Caitlin Clark (as per On3) recognized the clutch play by Affolter and hyped the junior guard on her Instagram stories.
"So proud of you squid," Clark wrote.
Caitlin Clark recovers from slow start
The game against the West Virginia Mountaineers was one of the Hawkeyes' toughest this season. The Mountaineers were physical and employed a full-court press that smothered even Caitlin Clark.
She had foreseen how the game would pan out during her pregame news conference, and it unfolded exactly as she had predicted.
“They’re going to want to turn us over,” Clark said. “They’re one of those teams that really feeds off of turnovers. One turnover can turn into five for a team.”
In the first half, she had four turnovers and went 4 for 11 from the field as the Hawkeyes struggled to play their flowing brand of basketball.
They scored their fewest points (26) in the first half of a game this season, showing just how effective West Virginia's game plan was. The lead at halftime was only two points.
After the break, Caitlin Clark managed to shake the Mountaineers' attention and went 4 for 5 from the field for 13 points in the third quarter. Still, West Virginia refused to go away and tied the contest 52-52 before Sydney Affolter's heroics opened up the game again.
Clark finished the encounter with 32 points, eight rebounds and three assists on 36.4% shooting from the field. In the process, she broke the NCAA single-season scoring record (1,113 points) previously held by Washington's Kelsey Plum (1,109 points).
The first games of Iowa's NCAA Tournament have shown how tightly contested the women's bracket has been and the best recovery powers of both Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes.