‘Crossover’ women’s basketball exhibition draws a Kinnick crowd of 55,646

IOWA CITY — The volume reached a fourth-quarter crescendo at which communication became impossible.

“Gabbie (Marshall) was about a foot away from me, and we couldn’t hear each other,” Caitlin Clark said.

The “I-O-W-A” chant rang repeatedly throughout Kinnick Stadium and refused to die. For nearly 10 minutes, it continued.

“It went forever,” Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said. “I couldn’t concentrate. We couldn’t communicate.

“And I loved it.”

The final count for Sunday’s “Crossover at Kinnick” was 55,646, a number that was far more important than the final score — Iowa defeated DePaul, 94-72 — in a women’s basketball exhibition game.

“If you set a goal for Hawk fans, they’re going to come through for you,” Bluder said.

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The game, played at Kinnick’s north end, began at 2 p.m. Fans began tailgating before 10 a.m.

“We came out of the shootaround, and we saw a lot of people tailgating and waving,” Clark said. “My family was having a great tailgate.”

It was a basketball game. And it was a party.

“It was like a dream,” Bluder said. “You worry that something like this would fall flat. But the fans showed up.”

It was a basketball game. And it was a fund-raiser.

Proceeds went to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital, and a preliminary check for $250,000 was handed over during a break in the action Sunday.

Bluder was asked what the late Christine Grant, Iowa’s former women’s athletics director, would have thought of all of it.

It was Grant — along with former coach C. Vivian Stringer — who dreamed of a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena. And on Feb. 3, 1985, a crowd of 22,157 overfilled the place.

“So many times I’ve thought of (Grant), during our Final Four run (last season),” Bluder said. “I have a picture of her and myself on my desk, and we want to carry her legacy onward.”

The exhibition was played in sometimes-sunny, sometimes-cloudy conditions. Temperature at tipoff was 53 degrees with winds out of the north at 15-20 miles per hour.

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Photos: Crossover at Kinnick

Most of the Hawkeyes wore long sleeves under their uniforms.

Not Hannah Stuelke. She was bare-shouldered, and “a little chilly,” she admitted.

Both benches were heated.

“We would turn ours on and off,” said Addison O’Grady, who had 10 points and 14 rebounds in her first career start. “When it was on, it would get really hot.”

As you would expect, Clark put on a show. A senior point guard and the reigning national player of the year, she posted 34 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in 33 minutes.

She anticipated an airballed 3-pointer or two, which didn’t happen. She did airball a free throw, though.

“I promise never to do that again,” she said.

Iowa and DePaul conducted a secret scrimmage last year. When Bluder’s wheels began turning in April about a game at Kinnick, the first person she approached was interim athletics director Beth Goetz.

When Goetz and the Iowa administration gave their blessing, Bluder approached DePaul Coach Doug Bruno.

“Doug was the right guy to do this,” Bluder said. “He’s been around for so long. He does everything he can to improve the game. It only took one phone call (to sell him).”

The Hawkeyes are accustomed to large crowds at nearby Carver-Hawkeye Arena (every game for the upcoming season is sold out). But this was something different.

“The team was giddy running out of the tunnel,” Clark said. “All of the people screaming for us, it takes your breath away.”

Iowa led 52-37 at halftime, 77-51 after three quarters. DePaul scored the first 15 points of the fourth quarter amid the noise of that I-O-W-A chant to close within 11 before the Hawkeyes opened it back up.

Clark and O’Grady were two of five Hawkeyes that reached double figures.

Molly Davis scored 13 points, Stuelke 12, Kate Martin 11.

“Molly is playing at a different level,” Bluder said. “Last year, she deferred to our veterans. She’s not deferring any more.”

And, with O’Grady ...

“We have a better rebounding (center) than we did last year,” Bluder said.

Iowa will host Clarke University next Sunday (a tip time has not been determined), then opens for real Nov. 6 against Fairleigh Dickinson.

Iowa 94, DePaul 72 (exhibition)

At Kinnick Stadium

DE PAUL (72): Jorie Allen 3-5 0-0 6, Katlyn Gilbert 2-11 4-6 8, Maeve McErlane 4-14 2-2 14, Anaya Peoples 9-14 1-2 19, Kate Clarke 2-4 0-0 5, Brynn Masikewich 0-4 0-0 0, Charlece Ohiaeri 1-8 1-2 4, Michelle Sidor 4-14 2-4 13, Sumer Lee 1-1 1-1 3, Shakara McCline 0-6 0-0 0, Grace Carstensen 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-81 11-17 72.

IOWA (94): Hannah Stuelke 4-8 4-10 12, Addison O’Grady 5-10 0-0 10, Kate Martin 4-8 3-3 11, Caitlin Clark 13-26 5-10 34, Gabbie Marshall 1-4 0-0 3, Molly Davis 5-7 2-4 13, Sydney Affolter 1-2 0-0 2, Sharon Goodman 2-2 1-2 5, Kylie Feuerbach 0-3 1-1 1, Taylor McCabe 1-1 0-0 3, A.J. Ediger 0-2 0-0 0, Kennise Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Jada Gyamfi 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 36-73 16-30 94.

DePaul 18 19 14 21 — 72

Iowa 24 28 25 17 — 94

3-point goals: DePaul 9-32 (Gilbert 0-2, McErlane 4-9, Peoples 0-1, Clarke 1-3, Masikewich 0-3, Ohiaeri 1-4, McCline 0-3), Iowa 6-22 (Stuelke 0-1, Martin 0-1, Clark 3-9, Marshall 1-4, Davis 1-2, Feuerbach 0-3, McCabe 1-1). Total fouls: DePaul 26, Iowa 18. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: DePaul 44 (Allen, McErlane 7), Iowa 58 (Clark 11). Assists: DePaul 13 (McErlane 4), Iowa 24 (Clark 10). Steals: DePaul 9 (Gilbert 3), Iowa 6 (Clark 3). Turnovers: DePaul 17, Iowa 17.

Attendance: 55,646.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com