LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)-- Jaz Shelley's 3-pointer with 30 seconds left gave Nebraska its first lead as the Cornhuskers rallied from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat No. 2 Iowa 82-79 on Sunday.
Nebraska and Iowa fans alike concerned Pinnacle Bank Arena wanting to see Caitlin Clark set the NCAA women's career scoring record on a nationally telecasted event of ladies's basketball.
What they got instead was a substantial efficiency by the Cornhuskers (16-8, 8-5 Big Ten), whose first win over a Top 25 challenger this season and initially over Iowa in 10 tries was punctuated by a student-led court storming.
Clark scored 31 points however missed her final six shots, including one right before the buzzer. She was scoreless in the fourth quarter.
Clark now has 3,520 career points and needs eight more to pass Kelsey Plum's record of 3,527 for
Washington from 2013-17.
Hannah Steulke's layup with 9:22 left provided Iowa (22-3, 11-2) its biggest lead, at 71-57. The Huskers then scored 23 of the next 31 points.
Shelley, who finished with 23 points consisting of five 3-pointers, offered the Huskers the lead when she launched a 3 from the right corner as the shot clock was unwinding.
Clark's 3-point shot nicked off the front of the rim before Shelley made 2 complimentary tosses with 18.1 seconds left. Steulke scored to make it 80-79, but Shelley struck 2 more shots from the stripe, and Clark and Kate Martin missed out on 3s at the end.
Iowa had actually retreated in the third quarter, making 9 of 12 shots and outscoring the Huskers 30-20.
The crowd was divided evenly in between Nebraska and Iowa fans. "Let's Go Hawks!" chants began before tipoff.
Nebraska kept it close in the first half and trailed simply 39-35 at the break. Shelley made three 3-pointers, consisting of 2 straight late in the second quarter to keep Iowa from retreating.
Clark had 17 points in the very first half, however her contributions on defense and as a facilitator were just as important. She ratcheted up her scoring in the 3rd quarter, accounting for 14 points.
From front to back, Nebraska's Jaz Shelley, reaches for the ball against Iowa's Caitlin Clark, Nebraska's Alexis Markowski and Iowa's Hannah Stuelke throughout the first half of an NCAA college basketball video game Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in
Lincoln, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz).
BROAD VIEW.
Nebraska: The game was the very first females's basketball sellout in program history. A few sellers on the secondary ticket market were asking as much as $2,000 for a seat in the lower bowl. The highest seats on one end of the arena were unfilled.
Iowa: The Hawkeyes left of a tie for first place in the Big Ten with Ohio State.
UP NEXT.
Nebraska: At Ohio State on Wednesday.
Iowa: Hosts Michigan on Thursday.
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