Caitlin Clark’s final (?) return to Central Iowa is a triumphant one

DES MOINES — Stomping grounds, indeed.

In (maybe) her final Central Iowa appearance, Caitlin Clark made it a memorable one. She posted 38 points to lead No. 4 Iowa past Cleveland State, 104-75, in a non-conference women’s basketball game before a sellout crowd of 14,786 Saturday night at Wells Fargo Arena.

“It’s really special. I’ve had this circled on my calendar for a long time,” said Clark, a native of West Des Moines who prepped at nearby Dowling Catholic High School.

“I’ve got to thank my coaches, the men’s coaches, the administration; it takes a lot of hard work to put this on. I got chills when I ran out of the tunnel.”

Clark was the undisputed drawing card of Saturday’s men’s/women’s “Hawkeye Showcase.”

The event was sold out soon after tickets were made available last summer, and the women’s contest, understandably, got the prime-time slot. The popularity of the women’s program was reflected by the decibel level, particularly when Clark was introduced.

She delivered, hitting 13 of 21 shots, including 9 of 16 from beyond the arc. She followed several of them with her trademark shrug.

On the last one, she sprinted down the sideline, high-fiving the entire front row of courtside fans.

“There were a lot of donors there, somebody from Hy-Vee that is a huge fan of mine,” she said. “They’re people that are passionate about women’s basketball. It makes them want to come back if you high-five them and smile when you’re running back.”

Clark added five rebounds and five assists, but did commit nine turnovers.

In the third quarter, Clark (3,079 career points) surpassed former Iowa City High/Iowa State great Ashley Joens (3,060) for No. 9 on the all-time NCAA Division-I women’s basketball scoring list.

Clark may or may not return to Iowa for a fifth season next year. If she does come back, she’ll return to the capital city one last time for a 2024-25 date at Drake.

Hannah Stuelke compiled her second career double-double (17 points, 13 rebounds). Kate Martin tallied 15 points; Sharon Goodman was good for eight points and 10 rebounds.

Iowa (11-1) converted 26 of 28 free throws and outrebounded Cleveland State (9-2) by an absurd 49-21 margin. The Hawkeyes never trailed and cruised to their eighth consecutive victory.

“Our offensive rebounding was just outstanding,” Bluder said of the Hawkeyes’ 19 caroms on their end of the floor. “I’m happy with the way we dissected their zone.

“We did a nice job putting on a show.”

Six of Stuelke’s 13 boards came on the offensive end, and the sophomore from Cedar Rapids continued to make progress at the line.

Stuelke was 5 of 6 from the stripe Saturday, sending her season success rate to .769 (20 of 26). Last year, she was a 46-percent foul shooter.

“I’m building confidence, getting extra reps,” she said.

“It was a lot of fun playing out there tonight. I like to play happy.”

Clark’s second 3-pointer put the Hawkeyes in front, 8-5, at the 7:55 mark of the first quarter, and they led the rest of the way.

Cleveland State got within 28-23, but Stuelke scored eight points in a 10-0 run, and Iowa led by as many as 20 points before halftime.

It was 53-36 at intermission, and Iowa’s largest lead was 37 points at 98-61 on Clark’s final trey.

Cleveland State was without leading scorer Destiny Leo, who will miss the remainder of the season due to injury. Mickayla Perdue scored 24 for the Vikings.

The Hawkeyes play their final non-conference game Thursday at home against Loyola Chicago. Then it’s Minnesota at Carver on Dec. 31.

Iowa 104, Cleveland State 75

At Des Moines

CLEVELAND STATE (75): Jordana Reisma 0-0 0-0 0, Mickayla Perdue 8-14 3-4 24, Colbi Maples 6-20 4-6 18, Sara Guerreiro 4-7 2-2 10, Carmen Villalobos 5-9 0-0 13, Faith Burch 0-1 0-0 0, Brooklyn Fort-Davis 0-3 0-0 0, Filappa Goula 1-1 2-2 4, Paulina Hernandez 0-1 0-0 0, Shadiya Thomas 0-2 0-0 0, Grace Ellis 0-0 0-0 0, Kali Howard 3-4 0-0 6. Totals 27-62 11-14 75.

IOWA (104): Sharon Goodman 3-4 2-2 8, Molly Davis 4-6 0-0 9, Kate Martin 3-8 9-9 15, Caitlin Clark 13-21 3-3 38, Gabbie Marshall 2-8 1-2 5, Hannah Stuelke 6-9 5-6 17, Sydney Affolter 1-2 4-4 6, Kylie Feuerbach 0-2 2-2 2, Taylor McCabe 0-4 0-0 0, Addison O’Grady 1-1 0-0 2, Jada Gyamfi 1-1 0-0 2, Kennise Johnson 0-1 0-0 0, A.J. Ediger 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 34-67 26-28 104.

Cleveland State 18 18 17 22 — 75

Iowa 26 27 31 20 — 104

3-point goals: Cleveland State 10-17 (Perdue 5-7, Maples 2-4, Villabolos 3-6), Iowa 10-31 (Davis 1-1, Clark 9-16, Marshall 0-6, Affolter 0-1, Feuerbach 0-2, McCabe 0-4, Johnson 0-1). Team fouls: Cleveland State 24, Iowa 13. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Cleveland State 21 (Villalobos 5), Iowa 49 (Stuelke 13). Assists: Cleveland State 12 (Maples 6), Iowa 19 (Martin, Clark 5). Steals: Cleveland State 11 (Villalobos 3), Iowa 12 (four with 2). Turnovers: Cleveland State 17, Iowa 19.

Attendance: 14,786.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com