“She Starts Going ‘And-One!’”: Purdue WBB Coach Recalls How Caitlin Clark Outdid Her Plan to End Half With a Foul
In the fast-paced world of college basketball, game plans are meticulously crafted, with every play calculated to give a team the best chance at victory. However, sometimes, a player’s brilliance is so extraordinary that even the most detailed plans can be undone in the blink of an eye. That’s exactly what happened during a recent showdown between Purdue Women’s Basketball and the Iowa Hawkeyes, as Caitlin Clark, one of the game’s most dynamic players, outwitted Purdue head coach Katie Gearlds’ strategy to end the first half.
It was a crucial moment. With less than 30 seconds left on the clock, Purdue was up by a slim margin, and Gearlds’ strategy was clear: avoid allowing Clark to get an open shot, and ideally, try to force her into a foul situation. The idea was to prevent her from making any last-minute impact, especially with her ability to drain deep, contested three-pointers from seemingly anywhere on the court. Clark, however, had other plans.
“We were talking in the huddle about how to close the half,” Gearlds recalled, “and the plan was simple. We knew Caitlin was going to try and create something at the end of the period, so we wanted to make sure she didn’t get a clean look. I thought if we could force her into a tough shot and maybe foul her, it’d be a good way to close the half out.”
As the final seconds of the second quarter ticked away, Purdue executed the defense as planned. They tightly guarded Clark, making sure she didn’t get the ball in an open position. But Clark, renowned for her ability to break free from even the most intense coverage, managed to find a sliver of space. With a defender closing out on her, she launched a deep three-pointer, just as Purdue’s defender tried to close the gap.
Clark’s shot didn’t just look good—it was perfect. As the ball sailed through the air, the crowd erupted, and as if that wasn’t enough, the referee’s whistle blew. “And-One!” Clark had been fouled during the shot, and the basket counted, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
“I swear, I thought we had her,” Gearlds said with a smile, remembering the moment. “We executed everything the way we wanted. We thought, ‘We’ve got her boxed in.’ But then she just pulls up from way deep, drains it, and gets fouled. Honestly, I was stunned. She just does that. She’s a special player, and she makes you pay for even the smallest mistakes.”
The play was a perfect illustration of Clark’s ability to change the course of a game in an instant. Even when an opponent seems to have her trapped or forced into a tough situation, she can create magic. The “And-One” not only gave Iowa a chance to tie the game at the free-throw line but also shifted the momentum heading into halftime.
For Purdue, the play served as a harsh reminder of just how difficult it is to contain a player of Clark’s caliber. Despite the best efforts of Gearlds and her squad, they were unable to keep Clark from making a statement, even with the clock winding down.
“We knew going into the game that Caitlin Clark is going to get hers,” Gearlds admitted. “She’s one of the best in the country for a reason. What we can control is how we respond to those moments, and I think our team did a great job keeping the pressure on her. But when she’s making plays like that, there’s not much you can do.”
Clark’s ability to execute under pressure is just one of the many reasons she’s become a household name in women’s college basketball. As Purdue learned the hard way, no matter how good your defense is, when Clark has the ball in her hands, anything can happen.
