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Kate Martin steals the Iowa women’s basketball show against Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever

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Kate Martin steals the Iowa women’s basketball show against Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever

It was an Iowa women’s basketball party Saturday night in Las Vegas, and for once, Caitlin Clark didn’t finish as the main attraction.

It was Kate Martin who stole the show.

The Aces rookie delivered 12 points and seven rebounds while playing a game-high 22 bench minutes, helping propel the Aces to a 99-80 win over Clark’s Indiana Fever.

With her former Iowa coaches Jan Jensen, Lisa Bluder and Jenni Fitzgerald, along with their families, all sitting courtside, Martin led the way in a matchup that put her, Clark and former Iowa star and Aces reserve Megan Gustafson all on the floor at the same time.

Clark finished with eight points, seven assists and five rebounds to go with six turnovers, playing 29 minutes while the Fever finished a brutal scheduling stretch. Clark drained a pair of deep 3-pointers for her only field goals of the night. Gustafson had one rebound in eight minutes while attempting one trey.

Now, obviously these two franchises are in very different spots, asking the respective former Hawkeyes on their roster to shoulder very different expectations. Clark continues to push through growing pains as a WNBA rookie on a rebuilding team. Martin and Gustafson have latched on with the two-time defending champs and play important roles off the bench.

Still, Saturday created the perfect scene for Martin to take center stage.

She checked in with roughly three minutes remaining in the first quarter and immediately guarded Clark for a few possessions. Two different rebound opportunities saw the two friends and former teammates chase after loose balls. Martin got extended second-half run as well and took advantage with a second trey plus a tough basket and free throw. She had Clark on her multiple times bringing the ball up the court and inbounding.

Bluder joined TV broadcasters Carolyn Peck and Krista Blunk during the first half, then Martin joined them postgame to dissect the special night some more.

“It’s pretty cool when your college coaches are sitting courtside right next to the bench,” Martin said on the postgame show. “Las Vegas just has a fun environment here. It’s a really fun team to be a part of. I’m grateful to be a part of this organization and have the fan support that we do here. And it’s cool that a lot of Hawkeye nation could come out as well.”

As for facing Clark?

“It was weird,” Martin said with a laugh. “I’m not going to lie.

“Just looking out on the court and seeing her in a different jersey than me, it was obviously different. But it’s really fun. We’re both living out our dreams right now, and we both get to compete at the highest level. So we’re both really grateful for that opportunity.”

The Fever and Aces face each other three more times this season — July 2 in Vegas, then Sept. 11 and 13 in Indianapolis — so Clark will get her chances to answer back. “The Glue,” though, took round one.

“She’s the ultimate teammate, the ultimate person, ultimate leader,” Clark said before Saturday’s game. “She’s going to do whatever she can for her team, just a super unselfish person. … She has a personality about her, and she was my teammate, but also one of my best friends. So, I’ve been lucky.”

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