No. 18 Iowa upends No. 12 Indiana to win women's Big Ten tournament championship

INDIANAPOLIS — Familiarity flowed from every angle of Sunday's Big Ten Tournament title game, which served as the third Iowa-Indiana clash in the last 16 days. The action, often tight, intense and hard to dictate, was a fitting conclusion to this mini series that's developed in the last two weeks. 

No need for introductions. No need for secrecy. Run your stuff and let the best execution prevail. 

The Hawkeyes completed the sweep and snagged a trophy in the process. 

Iowa gutted its way to a second Big Ten Tournament title in the last four years, upending Indiana, 74-67, in Sunday's championship game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis With the Hawkeyes set to host NCAA Tournament games in two weeks as a result, this weekend again served as the perfect lead in for bigger goals up ahead.

It wasn't until the final frame that Iowa grabbed its largest lead and finally found a bit of comfort after 3½ grueling quarters. The Hawkeyes pushed their lead to seven three different times in the fourth quarter, eventually breaking through a bit against an Indiana defense that made possessions difficult. There wasn't a massive surge or one monumental bucket, just a steady stream of Iowa offense that wears so many foes down over time. 

While Caitlin Clark and Monika Czinano carried the Hawkeyes for much of the weekend just as they have all season, one pivotal stretch came without any scoring help from No. 22 or No. 25. The Hawkeyes scored six straight without any points coming from Czinano or Clark — a McKenna Warnock layup and back-to-back Kate Martin buckets — that handed the Hawkeyes a 68-61 lead with four minutes remaining.

That put the pressure on Indiana to navigate winning time with flawless execution. The Hoosiers nipped at Iowa's heels, climbing within four on a Nicole Cardano-Hillary trey with 2:21 to go, but Iowa finished things out at the line to avoid a collapse.       

Reaching that point required a steady dose of Czinano, who took Clark's normal headliner spot in buoying the Iowa attack. The all-Big Ten center, who's been Iowa's leading scorer in all three Indiana matchups, poured in 30 points and 10 rebounds Sunday afternoon. Whether it was    

Even in facing the No. 7, No. 6 and No. 5 seeds this weekend in Indianapolis, the Hawkeyes hardly had an easy route to this hardware. Sunday's win accentuated Iowa's climb back to the level it hoped to be operating at in the postseason. 

Dargan Southard covers Iowa and UNI athletics, recruiting and preps for the Des Moines Register, HawkCentral.com and the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.