CLEVELAND — Hannah Stuelke stood tall inside against one of the best post players in the country. Kate Martin took a shot to the nose, left the court to stop the bleeding, shoved tissues inside her nostrils and then came back to score one crucial basket after the next down the stretch.
Gabbie Marshall drew a game-deciding offensive foul after locking down Paige Bueckers all night. Over and over again, a game billed as Caitlin Clark versus Paige Bueckers turned into something much different.
Clark was not the leading scorer for Iowa; Bueckers was ineffective down the stretch. Neither one made the biggest play with the game on the line.
Rather, virtually everyone on the Iowa roster stepped up when the time came — from defensive tenacity, to offensive boards, paint points and maybe the most crucial play of all — Marshall drawing the foul call with 3.9 seconds left.