Caitlin Clark overcomes slow start, guides Iowa past Holy Cross - ESPN

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Caitlin Clark struggled to make shots early but finished with 27 points and 10 assists as Iowa defeated Holy Cross 91-65 in a women's NCAA tournament first-round game Saturday.

Kate Martin also had a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Hawkeyes (30-4), the top seed in the Albany 2 Regional. Iowa advanced to the second round to face either No. 8 seed West Virginia or No. 9 seed Princeton on Monday.

Clark, a unanimous Associated Press All-American selection, was just 8-of-19 from the field and 3-of-9 on 3-pointers, showing her frustration with missed shots multiple times during the game.

She was constantly complaining to officials, and at one point, cameras caught her father, Brent, telling her to stop.

«I should probably smile more. I'm a competitor,» said Clark, who even head-butted the basketball during the game in frustration. «I love this game. I'm a perfectionist.»

Clark finished with her 65th career double-double, and added eight rebounds.

She got off to a slow start and didn't make her first field goal until 22 seconds were left in the first quarter. She committed five turnovers in the first eight minutes.

Iowa had a similar start. The Hawkeyes had a 10-0 run midway through the first quarter that didn't bother the Crusaders, who were within 23-21 at the end of the quarter.

The Hawkeyes then outscored Holy Cross 25-9 in the second quarter, holding the Crusaders to just 1-of-12 shooting. Clark finally got her first 3-pointer with 3:26 left in the first half, shaking her head and rolling her eyes after making the shot.

Holy Cross (21-13) made 12 3-pointers in Thursday's 72-45 First Four win over UT-Martin, but were just 7-of-34 in 3-pointers in this game, with only three in the