Nikki Haley, in Iowa, mistakes Caitlin Clark for Kaitlan Collins, who has great viral response

Nikki Haley, in Iowa, mistakes Caitlin Clark for Kaitlan Collins, who has great viral response

Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley is still trending after she referred to Hawkeyes superstar Caitlin Clark on Saturday as Kaitlan Collins, the CNN anchor, at the Iowa Athletic Club.

“We’re excited to see the Lady Hawkeyes team,” Haley said. “What a great coach they have. Caitlin Collins is phenomenal.”

Collins, an Alabama native and Crimson Tide fan, responded to a tweet about Haley’s reference, going vital in the process.

“I can assure you her free-throw percentage is better than mine.”

The snub doesn’t appear to have fazed Clark. She hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, finishing with 40 points as No. 4 Iowa defeated Michigan State 76-73 on Tuesday. Clark, who was 14-of-34 from the field, went more than 14 minutes without a point in a stretch in the second and third quarters. But she was there at the end, taking a pass from Hannah Stuelke before hitting a 30-foot shot as the buzzer sounded.

The Hawkeyes (14-1, 3-0 Big Ten) extended their winning streak to 11 games behind Clark and Stuelke, who had 15 points. Michigan State (11-3, 1-2) had tied the game at 73 on DeeDee Hagemann’s layup with 22 seconds left

The Associated Press contributed to this report.