By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Part of what makes a legend is an uncanny ability to seize the moment.

Caitlin Clark certainly did that on Monday with the eyes of the nation watching her every move.

With everything that Clark has accomplished on her beloved home court, Iowa’s all-everything senior guard was on a mission within a bigger mission against West Virginia in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Clark refused to lose her final game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and with a considerable amount of help from her teammates, the Hawkeyes now live to play another day as they prevailed 64-54 before a raucous crowd that stood and cheered for most of the game, and that was dressed in black and gold.

Clark scored half of Iowa’s points, but she was hardly a solo act as Sydney Affolter and Hannah Stuelke also scored in double figures with 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Affolter also made a traditional 3-point play late in the fourth quarter when the score was even at 52, while Stuelke made two free throws with 34 seconds remaining to give Iowa a 60-52 lead.

Senior guard Gabbie Marshall also played her typical in-your-face defense while fellow senior Kate Martin did all the little things that are so crucial to winning, including grabbing 10 rebounds.

But it was Clark who ultimately made the biggest difference between winning and losing as she so often has in her legendary career.

She wasn’t about to let a sellout crowd go home disappointed.

And remember, it was just two years ago when Iowa lost to Creighton in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

There were some nervous moments as West Virginia refused to wilt under the pressure.

The Mountaineers controlled the pace for much of the game, and yet Iowa still found a way to win despite only making 17-of-47 field-goal attempts, including 5-of-22 shots from 3-point range.

Clark made all five of Iowa’s 3-point baskets, but it took her 14 shots from behind the arc to do it against a rock-solid defense.

“I wish I could have stayed on that court for a while and soaked it all in a little more,” Clark said of the post-game celebration. “I don’t think there’s a better way we could go out with just a gritty, resilient win.

“Honestly to me, it was almost the opposite of Iowa basketball in a way. But I think that’s what makes it that much sweeter. Our defense was really good, and people don’t always give our defense too much credit. But that was the reason we won tonight.”

Iowa will now face Colorado in the Sweet 16 on Saturday in Albany, New York.

The Hawkeyes defeated Colorado in the Sweet 16 last season and would go on to finish as the NCAA runner-up.

Clark’s life as a celebrity hasn’t been the same since.

She struggled from the field in Monday’s victory, and she also had six turnovers due largely to West Virginia’s defensive pressure.

But as great players so often do, Clark found other ways to score, including making 11 of 12 free throw attempts.

She also played all but 10 seconds in the game, while Iowa’s other four starters played at least 34 minutes.

“When our shots aren’t falling, we’re not used to that,” Affolter said. “But the fact that we were able to rely on our defense and get stops and rebounds is really going to help us in March because we’re used to having our shots fall. And when they don’t, I think this game proved that we can fall back on our defense.”

Iowa (31-4) controlled the pace of the game in the first quarter and led 20-15 after 10 minutes.

But then West Virginia seized the momentum in the second quarter with its relentless defensive pressure and only trailed 26-24 at halftime.

Iowa had nine turnovers in the first half, including four by Clark.

The Mountaineers only made 10-of-29 field-goal attempts in the first half, but they kept the score close with their defensive tenacity.

Clark scored 11 points in the first half, but she had to work hard for everything. She made three shots from 3-point range in the first half, and she had at least one hand in her face on each made three.

There was a nervous energy at halftime as fans knew that Iowa had its hands full with this pesky opponent from the Big 12 Conference.

That same nervous energy was apparent until Iowa finally pulled away in the final minutes.