Around the Big Ten women's basketball: Week of Dec. 5

This weekend opened up Big Ten Conference play for the women’s basketball teams. Four of 14 teams are ranked in the AP Top 25.

No. 4 Iowa is led by star guard Caitlin Clark, winner of last season's Best Female College Athlete ESPY Award and picked as preseason Big Ten Player of the Year. She also earned unanimous AP preseason All-American honors.

On December 6, against Iowa State, Clark became the first player in Division I history, men or women’s, to score 3,000 points and record 750 rebounds and 750 assists.

The Hawkeyes' offense is also heavily assisted by guard Kate Martin, who is the first women’s basketball player in program history to record 900 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists, 120 steals and 60 blocks.

They hold first place in the Big Ten with a 10-1 record following an 87-65 win over Wisconsin.

No. 25 Penn State, ranked for the first time since 2014, dropped both of its games this past week. They lost on the road to unranked West Virginia 83-64 and to No. 12 Ohio State 94-84 in overtime.

Against West Virginia, the Lady Lions were outscored 25-13 in the second quarter creating a 10-point deficit at halftime. They shot less than 50% from both the field and beyond the arc which contributed to the loss.

The No. 12 Ohio State Buckeyes won all three of their games this week. Their closest game was a 10-point overtime victory over No. 25 Penn State to open Big Ten Conference play.

Down 10 at halftime, the Buckeye defense held the Lady Lions to just 30 points in the second half and four in overtime. This game featured six lead changes.

No. 16 Indiana had a dominant 72-34 victory over Stetson. The Hoosiers were led by forward Mackenzie Holmes with 17 points. Their 66-56 win over Rutgers marks their seventh straight.

Minnesota started their week with an exciting 92-88 double overtime victory against Drake last Saturday. They won their other two games this week against Kentucky and Purdue placing them at 9-1 on the season.

Michigan went 1-2 on the week, losing 69-46 to Toledo and beating Illinois 84-48.

With a 108-35 victory over UNC Wilmington, Nebraska started their week off strong. Jaz Shelley finished the game with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists, recording her second triple-double. They built off of this decisive win beating Michigan State 80-74.

Maryland won both their home games this past week 86-77 over George Mason and 71-58 over Northwestern.

Michigan State won their out-of-conference game earlier in the week 89-44 over Miami (Ohio) and lost their first Big Ten matchup against Nebraska.

Illinois also won their out-of-conference game against Northern Kentucky 74-52 and dropped their Big Ten game against Michigan 84-48.

Purdue followed the trend of Michigan State and Illinois, winning their first game and losing their second of the week. The Boilermakers beat Southeast Missouri State 83-57 and lost to Minnesota by two.

Rutgers followed the above trend. They beat La Salle 98-67 at home and lost their Big Ten opener 66-56 against Indiana.

Wisconsin lost both of their games this week at home at the Kohls Center. They moved to 5-4 on the season.

Northwestern holds last place in the conference at 3-6 overall and 0-1 in conference play.

Julia Henry is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email jbh6443@psu.edu.