ESTERO, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast University women's basketball battled No. 5 Iowa in front of a Gulf Coast Showcase record crowd Saturday, suffering a 100-62 defeat.

"They are a national championship contender, but tonight was as good as good as I've ever seen them," head coach Karl Smesko said. "They shot the ball exceptionally well, and we gave up too many looks at three. The pace, they jumped on us real early. Too much off the bounce, not enough passing, screening and working together, but give Iowa credit for their pressure to get us out of the way we want to play."

FGCU will face No. 18 North Carolina in the showcase third-place game on Sunday. Tip off is scheduled for 5 p.m. The third Top 25 opportunity of the season for the Eagles will be streamed on FloHoops.com. Iowa advanced to the showcase championship game and a rematch against No. 16 Kansas State.

4,257 piled into Hertz Arena to witness the reigning National Player of the Year, but Eagles did not allow Caitlin Clark to run wild. The phenom averaged 30.7 points per game entering the night, but the FGCU would hold her to just 21 points.

Iowa shot lights out, besting FGCU at its own game. The Hawkeyes drained 20 3-pointers. More than half of their made field goals were from distance. 

Iowa shot 61 percent from the field and an even more impressive 60.6 percent from behind-the arc. The Hawkeyes averaged just 7.6 made threes per game before seemingly catching fire Saturday in the semifinal showdown.

After going down 55-19 at the half, FGCU came out of the locker room to win the third quarter, 23-21. FGCU put up 43 points in the second half.

The Green & Blue appeared ready for the fight as Dolly Cairns connected from range to give FGCU an early 3-2 lead at the 8:38 mark, but the Eagles would only taste such a lead for just 17 seconds.

Maca Retamales paced FGCU offensively with a season-high 16 points off the bench. Cairns added 13 toward the Eagles' cause.