By Susan Harman

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The kids are all right. But the veterans ruled.

 Minnesota’s Kiddie Corps of four-star freshmen will eventually give the rest of the Big Ten fits. But Saturday night Iowa’s veteran lineup was too much, as the Hawkeyes rolled to a 87-64 victory before 8,946 fans.

 The victory was coach Lisa Bluder’s 234^th in Big Ten play as she surpassed the record of C.Vivian Stringer, who had 233 in stints at Iowa and Rutgers before she retired after last season.

“Obviously (Associate head coach) Jan Jensen and (special assistant) Jenni Fitzgerald have been there for every single one of those wins,” Bluder said. “So I don’t consider it my honor. I consider it our honor.”

Iowa continually got shots inside either with its posts or from dribble penetration. The Gophers just couldn’t match the Hawkeyes’ high-percentage shots, and they didn’t make enough 3-pointers to make up for it.

The only damper on the evening was an injury to Kate Martin early in the third quarter. Martin drove to the hoop and ended up in a heap. She was helped off and returned later on crutches and with a big ice pack on her shin. Bluder said that an initial X-ray indicated a deep bone bruise, but Martin would have another X-ray Sunday.

“She got kneed right in the shin,” Bluder said.

Iowa had a roller coaster third quarter, leading by as many as 19 but settling for a 12-point lead at the end.

“When Kate went down I think it really shook our team,” Bluder said. “It took us a little time to get refocused.”

 “Kate’s our emotional leader,” Caitlin Clark said. “She’s the one everyone looks to. The third quarter was a little up and down for us especially after that happened. But I thought we really reset in the fourth quarter.”

The fourth period was all Iowa. The Hawkeyes started the quarter with a 9-1 run, and it was all over.

“I thought our defense was good in the second half,” Bluder said.

The evidence came in the form of the Gophers’ 8-for-28 shooting in the second half. That included a fourth quarter when the Gophers made just one shot in 13 attempts, missing all six of their 3-point shots. Overall Minnesota was held to 30 percent shooting.

Part of that defensive performance came in completely shutting down Minnesota’s leading scorer,  Mara Braun, in the second half. The terrific freshman had 14 in the first half and nothing in the second when she was 0-for-6 from the field.

“We were trying the whole game to keep the ball out of her hands,” Bluder said. “She’s a really good player, and she doesn’t back down to anybody. I thought Syd (Affolter) did a very, very good job on her.”

McKenna Warnock had a fine all-round game with 12 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Warnock surpassed the 1,000-point and 600-rebound marks in this game.

Iowa led at halftime 49-37. The Hawkeyes shot 50 percent from the floor in the half. They were able to use dribble penetration to get good shots or set up teammates, usually Monika Czinano under the hoop.

“It’s something we try to do a lot,” Bluder said. “Something we work on all the time. So if it’s there, take it.”

Iowa led the whole way in the half but didn’t get any separation until the end of the first and beginning of the second quarter. A 7-0 run propelled Iowa to a 27-20 lead while the Gophers missed five shots and committed one turnover. The largest first-half lead was 43-26. Braun hit consecutive threes and steadied the Minnesota ship to get within hailing distance at half.

Minnesota (5-5, 1-1) shot 31.6 percent in the first half, including 4-of-15 behind the arc.

Iowa outrebounded the Gophers by seven, outscored them by 28 in the paint and its transition offense produced 21 more points. Clark had 32 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Czinano scored 22. Braun’s 14 led Minnesota. Only one other player was in double figures for the Gophers.

Iowa (8-3, 2-0) is off for Finals this week but will play host to Northern Iowa on Dec. 15 at 2 p.m.