Caitlin Clark’s Iowa win opening March Madness clash while referee removed at halftime of NC State-Chattanooga game

Caitlin Clark scored 27 points as her Iowa Hawkeyes won their opening game of March Madness on Saturday.

Clark started slowly before eventually finding her range as she proved the catalyst for the 91-65 victory for the No. 1 seeded Iowa over No. 16 Holy Cross Crusaders at Carver–Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.

The 22-year-old missed nine of her first 11 shots but was still affecting the game in other ways, adding 10 assists and eight rebounds in a complete performance.

After the first-round victory, Clark expressed how the opening quarter “frustrated” the whole team, but they were able to get back on track soon after.

“This is a game you want to come out and dominate from the start,” Clark told reporters. “Maybe we played with a little bit of rust. They really packed the paint – they sat four people in there, and it’s really hard to drive to the basket.

“We really started running our offense in the second quarter. … I think I was a little frustrated, but I think that comes from knowing what it takes to be where we want to be.”

Kate Martin added 15 points with 14 rebounds and Addi O’Grady contributed with 14 points.

Clark drives to the basket against Holy Cross defenders.

Clark, who became the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer during the regular season, took her career points total to 3,798.

Iowa advances to the second round where they will face No. 8 seed West Virginia in the round of 32 on Monday.

Elsewhere, a referee was removed at halftime of the NCAA’s women’s tournament first-round matchup between No. 3 NC State and No. 14 Chattanooga due to a “background conflict.”

According to a pool reporter statement: “There was a switch of game officials at halftime of the Chattanooga-NC State first-round game because it was learned after the game had started that Umpire 2 Tommi Paris had a background conflict that, if known, would prevent her from working that assigned game.

Tommi Paris (left) watches as NC State’s Saniya Rivers handles the ball during the first half the game against Chattanooga.

“The decision was made to move Angelica Suffren, who had worked the first game of the session, into the Umpire 2 position because it provided the most on-court experience and allowed the game to maintain a full officiating crew, plus standby.”

According to a profile of Paris, she has a masters degree in public administration from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

NC State went on to comfortably beat Chattanooga 64-45 and advance to the second round of March Madness where they will face Tennessee.