Clark leads No. 9 Iowa in 73-59 win over Oregon State

© Provided by The Associated Press Iowa Oregon St Basketball

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Caitlin Clark had 28 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to power No. 9 Iowa to a 73-59 win over Oregon State in the semifinal round of the Phil Knight Legacy tournament on Friday night.

Monika Czinano added 17 points and McKenna Warnock contributed 12 to help the Hawkeyes (5-1) advance to the PKL championship game on Sunday, where they will face No. 3 UConn.

Talia von Oelhoffen led the Beavers (4-1) with 22 points, while Shalexxus Aaron scored 17 points as Oregon State picked up its first loss of the season. Jelena Mitrovic had 14 rebounds.

© Provided by The Associated Press Iowa Oregon St Basketball

Iowa opened the game on a 9-0 run. Oregon State tied the game five times in the first half but never led. The Hawkeyes took a 44-37 lead into halftime.

Iowa stretched the advantage out in the second half, getting as high as 11 before Oregon State fought back to cut the lead to six in the fourth quarter. That was as close as they got, and the Hawkeyes stretched the lead out as high as 17 down the stretch.

© Provided by The Associated Press Iowa Oregon St Basketball

The Hawkeyes’ defense forced 14 Oregon State turnovers and held the Beavers to 35.5% shooting from the field.

The Beavers stuck around in the second half by outrebounding the Hawkeyes 37-35 and shot well from 3-point range, hitting six shots from deep.

BIG PICTURE

Iowa: The Hawkeyes improved to 5-1 with the win over Oregon State and now move on to play in the PKL championship game.

© Provided by The Associated Press Iowa Oregon St Basketball

Oregon State: The Beavers put up a solid effort against a top-10 team but picked up their first loss of the season.

© Provided by The Associated Press Iowa forward Monika Czinano (25) defends against Oregon State forward Jelena Mitrovic (12) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Phil Knight Legacy tournament Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

UP NEXT:

Iowa: The Hawkeyes face No. 3 UConn in the PKL championship game on Sunday.

© Provided by The Associated Press Oregon State forward Jelena Mitrovic (12) defends as Iowa forward Monika Czinano, right, goes to the basket during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Phil Knight Legacy tournament Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Oregon State: The Beavers play Duke on Sunday in the consolation game.

© Provided by The Associated Press Iowa forward Monika Czinano (25) defends against Oregon State forward Jelena Mitrovic (12) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Phil Knight Legacy tournament Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

___

AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

© Provided by The Associated Press Iowa forward McKenna Warnock (14) defends against Oregon State forward Raegan Beers, top during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Phil Knight Legacy tournament Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)