No. 14 Indiana women's basketball tops No. 4 Iowa, Caitlin Clark, in heated rivalry game

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana women's basketball re-entered the national discourse in a big way on Thursday night by knocking off No. 4 Iowa in convincing fashion in front of the program's second ever sell out at Assembly Hall.

The Hoosiers made a convincing argument it belonged alongside the country's best by leading nearly the entire way through the 86-69 win

While Caitlin Clark, the nation's leading scorer (32.8 points per game), was one assist shy of a triple-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists, she was limited to four points on 2 of 13 in the second half. She was 0 for 7 from 3-point range (3 of 16 overall) in the half with Iowa trailing double-digits down the stretch. She also turned the ball over five times and looked visibly frustrated at times.

No. 14 Indiana's (22-4; 13-3 Big Ten) made six straight field goal attempts during the fourth quarter to close out the win. It was only the Hoosiers second win over Iowa (23-4; 12-3) in the last seven games in the series.

Indiana guard Sara Scalia had a game-high 25 points and Mackenzie Holmes had 24 points with nine rebounds and four blocks.

Indiana women's basketball guard Sydney Parrish has a moment

Indiana's biggest lead of the game came when Sydney Parrish hit back-to-back 3-pointers from nearly the identical spot on the floor.

They were Parrish's first field goals since coming back from an ankle injury that forced her to miss seven straight games. She returned to the lineup in an 86-66 loss to Illinois earlier in the week, but didn’t attempt a field goal in six minutes.

She was quiet in the first half until knocking down the open looks without any hesitation. It was reminiscent of the confidence she showed when she hit 17 3-pointers during a five-game stretch in January on 29 attempts (58.6%).

Iowa clawed back to within single digits by making 5 of 6 shots to close out the quarter.

More: From Idaho to Bloomington to see Caitlin Clark. 'It’s great being this close.'

Indiana women’s basketball and Iowa take the gloves off

Yarden Garzon and Caitlin Clark had to be separated early in the second quarter. Clark was headed to the free-throw line after Garzon fouled her at the basket. Clark interrupted Garzon’s discussion with the official and it drew a passionate response fromIU’s sophomore.

It wasn’t the only time where things got heated between the teams in the quarter.

Mackenzie Holmes had a stare down with Iowa’s 6-foot-2 center Hannah Stuelke. Holmes instigated the exchange after blocking Stuelke’s shot. The crowd at Assembly Hall loved it, but her teammates quickly pulled her away.

Clark shouted down IU’s coaches on the bench late in the quarter after she was fouled by Sydney Parrish. She appeared to be unhappy with what IU’s bench was shouting at the officials and vented her frustration.

Indiana did a better job handling all the emotion as they jumped out to a 44-33 lead. Garzon hit a pair of 3-pointers, Lexus Bargesser provided terrific defense on Clark off the bench while scoring six points and Holmes controlled the paint.

More: Rock star. Indiana women's basketball fans clamor to witness Caitlin Clark's greatness

Caitlin Clark gets started early against Indiana basketball

Clark had 13 points (4 of 8) with four rebounds and two assists in the first quarter. She had a hand in six of Iowa’s eight field goals in the quarter and scored her team’s first seven points.

The Hoosiers played strong perimeter defense against Clark limiting her to 1 of 5 shooting from 3-point range, but struggled with her attacking the basket coming off screens. She also did a nice job pushing the tempo.

Lexus Bargesser was called for a personal foul with 6.9 seconds guarding Clark. The replay on the jumbotron clearly showed Clark pushing off with her arm and extending it all the way. Indiana fans let the officials know their frustration with the call as Clark sank two free throws.

Indiana kept pace thanks to eight points each from Sara Scalia and Mackenzie Holmes.

Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana women's basketball wins in convincing fashion over No. 4 Iowa