COLUMBUS, Ohio — Caitlin Clark got upset and then upended.
Iowa’s superstar, who scored a season-high 45 points, was accidentally knocked to the floor by a fan storming the court following Ohio State’s 100-92 overtime victory on Sunday.
The No. 18 Buckeyes rallied from a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the game and took control in overtime in front of more than 18,000 fans — the largest crowd to watch a women’s basketball game at Ohio State.
As fans streamed onto the court, Clark, the nation’s top scorer and reigning college player of the year, was accidentally collided into by a fan and had to be helped up by her teammates. Her coach, Lisa Bluder, said fans also screamed inappropriate things to the star player.
Clark said she was “OK,” and Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith apologized to her for the incident.
Cotie McMahon had a career-high 33 points and 12 rebounds as No. 18 Ohio State stunned No. 2 Iowa 100-92, snapping a 15-game win streak for the Hawkeyes (18-2, 7-1 Big Ten).
“It’s a huge win for the program,” said Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff, who opened his press conference with an apology to Clark for the post-game incident.
“We beat an incredible team with one of the best players to every play our sport, and we did it in front of 18,000 people,” McGuff said. “So hopefully the significance is we can really build on that with the momentum.”
