IOWA CITY — On an evening that started with a celebration of last season, the Iowa Hawkeyes sent a message to college basketball that their future might be just as bright.
Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes jumped on visiting Fairleigh Dickinson early and often, drubbing the the Knights 102-46 in Iowa's official season opener. Clark led all scorers with 28 points, including 17 in the first quarter as Iowa ran away with the game early. Sophomore forward Hannah Stuelke added 22 points and nine rebounds as she cements her place as a weapon for this loaded Hawkeye squad.
"I thought Hannah and Sharon [Goodman] played really well," Bluder said. "I know the competition's going to get better, but it's a good confidence boost for everybody."
Goodman started her first game as a Hawkeye, taking the center role over Addison O'Grady and finishing with 19 points in 16 minutes.
For the Hawkeyes, it was a welcome change of pace to get real competition against a real foe after a long offseason.
"Our team just wanted the opportunity to get out and face somebody else tonight," head coach Lisa Bluder said after the game.
Prior to the game, Iowa presented its banner for last season's WBB team, honoring the team's Big Ten Championship, NCAA tourney bid and Final Four run.
Iowa led 35-17 after the first quarter and 60-24 at halftime as the Hawkeyes got to the rim with ease, essentially whenever they wanted. Iowa was 31-for-40 on layups all told, including a few misses during chips-and-salsa time down the stretch.
"Our transition game early was really good," Clark said. "That's what we pride ourselves on, a lot of assists and low turnover numbers. Seven [turnovers] is really good, especially earlier in the year, sometimes those numbers can be a little high."
Speaking of missed shots, the Hawkeyes were only 6-for-28 from deep for the game, including 2-for-19 by players not named Caitlin Clark. In other words, this could have been even more lopsided, as few opponents this season will have the luxury of Iowa shooting 21% from behind the arc over the course of a game.
Iowa even got stifling defense from its role-players, including an all-caps WOW play by Sydney Affolter and Molly Davis at the end of the first quarter:
THE DEEP THREE
1. Caitlin Clark might be even better than last year? Caitlin Clark's line Monday night was — well, "pedestrian" surely isn't the right word, as 28 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists moves virtually anybody's needle but hers. But what looked like a giant scoring night early turned into a "merely" normal-for-her performance
Make no mistake, though: Clark looks like she has even better control of the game than last season. Somehow.
Clark showcased more off-the-ball ability than in years past, including a three-pointer off a long pass out of the block by Stuelke:
Not that Clark is waiting for her teammates to create opportunities for her.
Indeed, one of the best things Clark demonstrated Monday was patience. With just subtle adjustments to pace and positioning, she was able to manipulate FDU defenders and manufacture space — for both herself and teammates.
"Caitlin passed it and she was like SHOOT IT, SHOOT IT," Stuelke said with a laugh.
"Hannah set a screen and I got the ball off the curl, and Hannah's girl stayed with me; Hannah popped and was just wide open." Clark said, recounting the play. "Hannah's been working really hard on her shot, and we all know she can make it. I have all the confidence in the world that she can make it; I just need her to shoot it."
The real tests for Clark start Thursday, as Iowa faces No. 8 Virginia Tech in Charlotte for the Ally Tip-Off. And there are no shortage of Big Ten squads capable of making Clark's life more difficult than what FDU was able to offer. 28-7-10 won't be as blasé if it comes against, say, Ohio State. Or an elite NCAA tourney foe. But Clark already looks ready for challenges like that, too.
2. Hannah Stuelke is ready to be a star. Two years ago, Hannah Stuelke was playing for Cedar Rapids Washington. Last season, she was earning Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year for the Hawkeyes. This year? It might be time for the real hardware.
In the first start of her career, sophomore Stuelke scored 22 points on 9-for-10 shooting, including a three-pointer and a perfect 3-for-3 effort at the free throw line. She spent the offseason working on both her long-range jumper and her free throws, and the work appears to be paying off early.
Don't tell Clark, who shot 2-for-3 at the line in Monday's victory, that Stuelke's got her beaten at the line though.
3. Iowa's center position is a Good Problem. As mentioned earlier, center Sharon Goodman started the season opener, in a surprising nod over fellow junior Addison O'Grady. Goodman rewarded her coaches' confidence with a 19-point performance, making her first seven shots of the game and playing the type of clean, mistake-free basketball that can only continue to endear her to Clark and teammates.
Goodman said she didn't learn she would start until "just the other day at practice" — but given her level of play this season, it's probably not the last time she'll on the floor at tipoff.
"She's been playing well," Bluder said of her center. "She's been sealing big, she's been asking for the ball, she's been scoring at a good rate. She runs the floor hard. Just a lot of good things that Sharon's been bringing to the team."
True to form for Bluder's players, Goodman credited her teammates.
"It's been since February 2020 that I started my last basketball game," Goodman said. "That was a long time ago — just looking back at all that's happened since then, that was a lot of my thoughts, but also just grateful for my coaches and teammates."
O'Grady, to her credit, added nine points, four rebounds and three assists in reserve action. She also played more minutes over the course of the game — 20 to Goodman's 16 — but much of that came in the second half when the scoreboard reflected the massive talent disparity.
Zooming out, O'Grady is still probably Iowa's best bet on the interior against higher-level competition, but Goodman played like she had earned that starting role — and intends to keep it.
