Iowa Women’s Basketball: Hawkeyes Play in Italy, Croatia, Soon to be in Kinnick

I grew up with maps and an atlas. When I saw the Iowa women’s hoops team traveled to the Amalfi Coast, Naples, Dubrovnik, and Split, I went to The Google to see where exactly that was. I knew Naples was in Italy, but that was the extent of my knowledge. I learned that our favorite squad was ballin’ in Croatia in addition to Italy. A shout out to the Adriatic Sea that separates the two.

The Hawkeyes played the Team Slammers, KK Tresnjevka 2009, and the Croatian All-Stars. It’s safe to say that this Iowa team is not only loved by Hawkeye fans aplenty, it is now loved by fans in Italy and Croatia.

In the first game Iowa edged the Slammers by a score of 116-46. The Hawks were led in scoring by... you guessed it, Caitlin Clark. Clark had 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Addi O’Grady was 8-for-8 from the field (sound familiar out of Iowa’s post?) and totalled 16 points. Sydney Affolter had 15 points and 13 rebounds. Iowa will miss McKenna Warnock’s rebounding, and Affolter may be able to pick up some of those boards. Taylor McCabe had 14 points, including going 4-9 from 3pt range. Look for her to hit a ton of 3 balls this season. Molly Davis (and her headband) chipped in 13 points. Hannah Stuelke had 12 points and 8 rebounds. Kate Martin did what Kate Martin does and filled the stat sheet and ended with a plus/minus of +35.

In the second game the Hawkeyes squeaked by KK Tresnjevka 2009 by a score of 106-53. Caitlin Clark had a cool 30. Molly Davis had 17 points and was 60% (3 for 5) from distance. Hannah Stuelke had 15 points. Sydney Affolter had 9, as did Addi O’Grady.

In the third and final game, Iowa won by a cool 80 points, 109-29. Hannah Stuelke led the Hawkeyes with 20 points. Taylor McCabe had 15 on 5 for 8 shooting from the 3 point line. Addi O’Grady had 12 points and 10 rebounds. AJ Ediger finished with 11 points.

Obviously the competition was not up to B1G or NCAA standards, but it was an opportunity for Coach Lisa Bluder to get minutes for some newer players, and for other players to take on a larger role than they have in the past. Iowa needs to replace two three-year starters in Monika Czinano and McKenna Warnock. Iowa’s success may come down to the continued development of posts Addi O’Grady and Hannah Stuelke. O’Grady has nice size and Stuelke can run like a deer and plays with tenacity. If O’Grady can defend and rebound, and Stuelke can knock down mid-range shots and improve her free throw shooting, I think the Hawkeyes can make another run this winter. When you have one of the best players on the planet on your team, as a coach and as a fan, you feel pretty decent.

Crossover at Kinnick

Just when you thought the Iowa women’s basketball team couldn’t possibly get any more amazing, they went and did a thing. That thing is that the Hawkeyes will be hosting DePaul in an outdoor scrimmage at Kinnick Stadium on Sunday, October 15th. The game will be played at 3pm and will be televised on the B1G+ and will also be available on the Hawkeye Radio Network. Proceeds will go to the U of I Stead Family Children’s Hospital (for the kids!). It is hoped that the Hawkeyes can break the women’s basketball attendance record of 29,619 which was set in the 2002 national title game between Connecticut and Oklahoma in San Antonio’s Alamodome. If I know Hawk fans, and I do, I think we have a pretty darn good chance of doing just that. This will more than likely be Caitlin Clark’s final year in the black and gold, and believe me, she is must-see in person. I saw her and the Hawks in person for the first time in last year’s B1G championship game and I will never forget it.

Tickets

Also, the Iowa women’s basketball team sold out their entire home schedule, so if you want to see them in person, Kinnick might need to be the venue. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, August 15.

As always, Go Hawks!