The Iowa women's basketball team opened the 2023-24 season with a 94-72 victory in its exhibition game over DePaul on Sunday afternoon at Kinnick Stadium in front of 55,646 fans. The Crossover at Kinnick was the first ever women's basketball game to be played outdoors in a football stadium and set a NCAA single game record for most attended in women's basketball history.
All net proceeds from the event benefited The University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital.
National Player of the Year Caitlin Clark finished with a triple-double, scoring 34 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Fifth-year senior Molly Davis tallied 13 points in the win.
Bigger than basketball đź’›#Hawkeyes
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) October 15, 2023
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The Hawkeyes jumped on top in the first quarter, shooting 60 percent from the field on 15 attempts.
After a basket from Clark extended Iowa's lead to 24-18 ahead of the break, nearly 60,000 at Kinnick Stadium turned toward the adjacent Children's Hospital. Joined by the players, coaches and referees, "The Greatest Tradition in Sports" ensued as the black-and-yellow faithful spent more than a minute delivering a wave of support and compassion toward the children battling at the overlooking hospital.
Iowa kept the momentum in the second scoring 62.5 percent from the field on 16 attempts to take a 52-37 lead at half.
The Hawkeyes scored a game-high 25 points in the third quarter, led by Clark with eight points and Davis with seven. Iowa's defense never let the Blue Demons within 10 points in the second half. Ten Hawkeyes entered the scoring column with five recording double-digits.
The Blue Demons had balanced scoring efforts with eight different players scoring and three reaching double-digit points. Anaya Peoples led the Blue Demons with 19, despite playing only 25 minutes. Peoples shot 9-of-14 from the floor in addition to five rebounds and three assists. Maeve McErlane and Michelle Sidor joined Peoples in double-digit scoring with 14 and 13, respectively. McErlane, Sidor and Jorie Allen all had a team-best seven rebounds, while McErlane also tallied four assists.
