Wow. What a way to begin an absolutely loaded slate of games on Sunday.
On a day in which six No. 1 or No. 2 seeds are in action in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament, the first of them to tip off, No. 2 seed Iowa, didn't survive its 40 minutes of madness. That's because No. 10 seed Creighton stunned the Hawkeyes and their nation-leading scorer, Caitlin Clark, 64-62, thanks to guard Lauren Jensen's incredible, go-ahead, catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from the top of the key with roughly 13 seconds left in the game.
Jensen transferred from Iowa after last season and she's gone from a player who scored 23 total points last season to one whose season-high, single-game point total this season is 23.
Lauren Jensen gives the Jays the lead! #MarchMadness x @CreightonWBB pic.twitter.com/cFfuJXftTX
โ NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 20, 2022
The shot put the Bluejays ahead 63-62, Clark missed a layup on the other end, forcing the Hawkeyes to foul the Bluejays three times in succession. Creighton's Emma Ronsiek made the second of two free throw attempts to put Creighton ahead by the final margin, 64-62, and Iowa missed two more layup attempts in the closing seconds as the Bluejays stunned the Hawkeyes on their home court.
Creighton is just the fourth No. 10 seed to ever reach the Sweet 16, joining Missouri (2001), Florida State (2007) and Oregon (2017). Since the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1994, the first 108 teams to earn a No. 10 seed reached the second weekend roughly 2.8 percent of the time. One more win and the Bluejays will join the Ducks as the only No. 10 seeds to advance to the Elite Eight.
Jensen, the game's hero, finished with a team-high 19 points, including three 3-pointers, but none bigger than the last one. While Clark did have a few incredible moments, like this shot below, Creighton held her in check, allowing her just 15 points on a 4-for-19 shooting performance. Clark, who also had 11 assists and eight rebounds, finished two boards shy of a triple-double in a losing effort.
Second round is underway! @CaitlinClark22 doing what Caitlin Clark does ! ๐#MarchMadness x @IowaWBB pic.twitter.com/xhWr2XG4UJ
โ NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 20, 2022
In a game in which Creighton didn't shoot the ball particularly well โ just over 35 percent from the field, roughly 29 percent from 3-point range and 60 percent from the line โ and turned the ball over 14 times, the Bluejays generally corralled the most explosive scorer in the country, while attacking the boards vigorously, grabbing 15 of their 43 missed shots, or almost 35 percent, while scooping up 82 percent of Iowa's missed shots.
Creighton will play either No. 3 seed Iowa State or No. 6 seed Georgia in the Sweet 16.
Click or tap here to view the interactive tournament bracket.