By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Sports Writer, and staff
MINNEAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark chased down her 10th rebound for Iowa with 5:18 left in the game and flashed a knowing grin, her 10th career triple-double secured.
The Hawkeyes were all smiles all afternoon. Their second straight Big Ten Tournament title was locked up early.
Clark had 30 points, 17 assists and 10 rebounds for the seventh-ranked Hawkeyes, who built a 37-point halftime lead and beat Ohio State 105-72 on Sunday.
Clark had 23 points in the first half, just one fewer than the 14th-ranked Buckeyes (25-7). She stepped back for NBA-range 3-pointers from the wing, drove hard to the hoop to draw fouls and dished out a steady stream of laser-like passes that were as devastating to Ohio State’s defense as they were beautiful for the Iowa-dominated crowd to watch.
The announced attendance of 9,505 set the Big Ten Tournament record for a single session, beating the 2004 championship game in Indianapolis between Purdue and Penn State (9,417).
Taylor Mikesell led Ohio State in scoring with 24 points, Cotie McMahon added and Taylor Thierry scored 13.
The Buckeyes (25-7) will find out Sunday night where they will be headed for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. The selection show airs at 8:00 p.m.
Buckeyes No. 13 seed in Big Ten men’s tournament
The Big Ten Conference on Sunday announced the full bracket for the 26th Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament presented by TIAA, set to take place March 8-12 at the United Center in Chicago.
Ohio State (13-18, 5-15 Big Ten) will play the tournament’s first game, taking on No. 12 seed Wisconsin (17-13, 9-6) at 6:30 p.m. (BTN)
Purdue, Northwestern, Indiana and Michigan State are the tournament’s four top seeds and have earned double-byes, advancing automatically to Friday’s quarterfinal round.