It’s March! Playoffs are just around the corner starting with the conference tournaments, then leading to the long-awaited NCAA March Madness Tournament. Before all that action goes down, let’s take a dive into the best stat lines and games from the last week of the regular season.
Best Stat Lines
Caitlin Clark (No. 6 Iowa) vs. No. 2 Indiana – 34 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists
In what is potentially the greatest play of this season, Caitlin Clark hit the buzzer beater 3-point shot, lifting No. 6 Iowa over No. 2 Indiana. Behind the off-balanced game-winning shot, Clark scored 34 points with nine rebounds and nine assists, close to recording what would’ve been the 10th triple-double of her career. The Iowa native came in big on offense, helping the Hawkeyes in each of the four quarters. Clark is now averaging 24.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game; it can’t get much better than that for Iowa. The junior guard has drawn fans to sell out her home stadium of Carver-Hawkeye arena and gain attention at road games as well.
Maddy Siegrist (No. 11 Villanova) vs. Seton Hall – 32 points, 6 rebounds
Seeing Maddy Siegrist on this list comes to no surprise but she had to be included after her 32-point performance against Seton Hall. She scored 24 out of her 32 points in the second half in the Wildcats smooth sailing 83-56 win against the Pirates. The senior forward still leads the nation in scoring, averaging 29.0 per game. Additionally, she averages 9.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game with a 56.1 field goal percentage (FG%). After only having shot three attempts in the first half, she made all six free throws, making eight points going into the halftime break. Siegrist finished 10-of-16 from the field and made 11 straight free throws. This combined for 82 points in two games against Seton Hall this season. It’s safe to say that Siegrist has been a huge part in bringing Villanova to the No. 11 ranked team in the country.
Angel Reese (then-No. 5 LSU) vs. Mississippi State – 23 points, 26 rebounds
While taking down Mississippi State, LSU set the PMAC attendance record and tied the record for best record in program history, all behind a stellar performance by Angel Reese. Reese scored 23 points, adding 26 rebounds. Breaking more records, the sophomore forward tied LSU legend.
Sylvia Fowles’ record for most double-doubles in a single season with 27. It was also her 11th time recording a double-double by halftime. This marked her fifth game this season having at least 20 points and 20 rebounds. Reese had eight points and six rebounds just in the first quarter, leading to a dominant game for her and the rest of the Tigers.
*Update: LSU climbed the rankings to No. 4
Emma Kitley (then-No. 9 Virginia Tech) vs. Georgia Tech – 29 points, 11 rebounds
Scoring a season-high 29 points, Emma Kitley led Virginia Tech to top Georgia Tech 65-52. She also added 11 rebounds and was 3-for-3 on free throws. Georgia Tech had no answer for Kitley’s performance as she was strong on all sides of the ball. As their season came to a close against the Yellow Jackets, the Hokies sealed 14 wins in the ACC conference which is the most victories in program history, following their eight game winning streak. Kitley is behind all the success for Virginia Tech, being the front runner for the ACC Player of the Year.
Haley Jones (then-No. 3 Stanford) vs. then-No. 21 Colorado – 23 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists
In a double-overtime matchup between then-No. 3 Stanford and then-No. 21 Colorado, Haley Jones shined, scoring 23 points with 11 rebounds and seven assists. Jones came in clutch, scoring 13 of her 23 points in the two overtime periods. The senior guard took control in the second overtime period, helping the Cardinals to outscore Colorado 13-2, leading to the 73-62 victory. Jones was just three assists shy of a triple-double, but still made a huge impact.
*Update: Colorado climbed to No. 20 on the rankings and Stanford fell to No. 6.
Best Games
then-No. 7 Maryland downs then-No. 16 Ohio State
In the last game of their regular season, then-No. 7 Maryland survived then-No. 16 Ohio State 76-74. Abby Meyers led the Terps, scoring 24 points with six rebounds and three steals. She made several clutch baskets that helped Maryland stay on the road to victory. The game was fairly even for its entity, but Maryland led 38-33 at the halftime mark. It came down to the final seconds of the game to decide the winner, with 4.7 seconds left and Maryland leading by two points, Ohio State received the ball at mid-court with a chance to tie or win the game but never did. The Terps sealed the narrow win, finishing the regular season with a 24-5 overall record.
*Update: Maryland climbed the rankings to No. 5 and Ohio State climbed to No. 14.
then-No. 8 Utah upsets then-No. 3 Stanford
To share the Pac-12 conference title, the then-No. 8 Utah upset then-No. 3 Stanford to even out their records for the upcoming tournament. A 28-point performance from Utah’s Gianna Kneepkens knocked Stanford over the edge after their nail biting win against Colorado. The most that Utah led was by 12 in the second half. Cameron Brink and Stanford attempted a comeback after Brink posted a double-double with 11 rebounds but Utah came out with the win.
*Update: Utah climbed the rankings to No. 3 and Stanford fell to No. 6.
No. 6 Iowa stuns No. 2 Indiana
Behind a 3-point buzzer beater by the one and only Caitlin Clark, No. 6 Iowa stunned No. 2 Indiana for the 86-85 win. Getting straight to the point, with 1.5 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Clark received an inbound pass on the wing and drilled a 3-point shot over Indiana’s Chloe Moore-McNeil as the clock ran out. Indiana had a productive offensive game behind Sydney Parish and Grace Berger but they could not overcome Clark. She scored or assisted on 56 of Iowa’s 86 points, giving Indiana no chance to stop her as it was the most they have given up all season. Both of these teams will enter the Big Ten Tournament this weekend, potentially having a rematch.
then-No. 19 Texas defeats No. 13 Oklahoma
To snap the tie between then-No. 19 Texas and then-No. 12 Oklahoma, both fighting for the 1-seed in the Big 12 Tournament, Texas defeated the Sooners and now stands alone. Shaylee Gonzales scored 19 points for the Longhorns. The third quarter was pivotal for Texas as they outscored Oklahoma 24-14 to gain a large lead. Shay Holle made three 3-pointers in the quarter, helping the Longhorns to go on a 11-0 run to take a 19-point lead. The Sooners cut the lead to 14 points but that was not enough. Texas sealed the 67-45 win, sealing the No. 1 seed in the Big-12 conference.
*Update Texas climbed the rankings to No. 12 and Oklahoma fell to No. 16.
