Caitlin Clark stats last night: How did Iowa star guard perform against Indiana?

A week after passing Kelsey Plum's all-time women's NCAA basketball scoring mark, Caitlin Clark was back on Thursday to lead No. 4 Iowa against conference rival and No. 14 Indiana. Her next target is Lynette Woodard's major women's college scoring record at 3,649.

After setting a school record of 49 points in a win against Michigan that passed Plum's scoring mark, Clark saw herself falling back to earth against the Hoosiers.

The Hawkeyes guard was limited to just 24 points on 8-of-26 shooting from the field. She also had a horrible night from the 3-point line, making only three of 16 attempts. Her free-throw accuracy was also spotty, settling for a 5-of-8 clip.

Clark had a brilliant start, scoring 20 points in the first half. However, her teammates did not give the senior guard enough help as they only scored 13 points. The offensive struggle saw Iowa falling behind, 44-33, in the first 20 minutes of the game.

In the second half, Clark tried to get her teammates involved, dishing out crisp passes to reduce the deficit to single digits. The strategy, however, affected her offense as she only scored four points in that stretch.

Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes walks down the court after missing a shot in the second half of the 86-69 loss to the Indiana Hoosiers.

Caitlin Clark stats: Iowa guard was an assist shy of a triple-double

Clark came one assist shy of a triple-double as she grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out nine assists. She also had two steals but committed five turnovers in 39 minutes.

Her three triples gave her 143 for the 2023-24 season. This broke the single-season Big Ten record she set last year.

Clark's point production against Indiana was eight below her average. It also marked her lowest scoring output since December 2 when she tallied 24 markers in a win over Bowling Green.

This was the guard's second-lowest total of the season. Her 21 points against Florida Gulf Coast on November 25 was the lowest this season.

The setback dropped Iowa to third place in the Big Ten Conference. They are now 23-4 (12-3 in Big Ten).

On the other hand, it was Indiana's 22nd win in 26 matches but the Hoosiers are half a game ahead of Hawkeyes in the conference standings with a 13-3 record. Ohio State continues to lead the conference with a 14-1 mark and 23-3 overall.

The 17-point loss was the Hawkeyes' biggest margin of defeat since it lost to Louisiana State University in last season's national championship game. The result was Iowa's third road loss this season and could jeopardize their 17-week streak of being ranked in the top five.

Iowa has three more games left in regular-season games: at home against Illinois (Sunday), at Minnesota (February 28) and at home against Ohio State (March 3).