Iowa women’s basketball newcomers Molly Davis and Hannah Stuelke made an instant impact in their first game as Hawkeyes.

Iowa beat Nebraska-Kearney, 108-29, in a preseason exhibition at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Stuelke, a 6-foot-2 freshman, played 22 minutes with 18 points and five rebounds. Stuelke shot 8-for-10 from the floor on the night, including 1-for-3 on 3-point attempts.

Stuelke, who was born and raised in Cedar Rapids, said she has been waiting to play for the Hawkeyes for her entire life.

“Walking out to warm-ups, I started tearing up a little bit,” Stuelke said.

Stuelke played prep basketball at Cedar Rapids Washington. There, she was a four-time all-state honoree and named Miss Iowa Basketball 2021-22 after her senior year.

Stuelke said her performance on Friday was a confidence boost going forward. She added that Iowa’s upperclassmen made it easy for her to approach this game like she would any other.

Stuelke committed as a freshman in high school, and head coach Lisa Bluder said her early pledge allowed them to build a relationship before she arrived at Iowa.

“I’m just so happy for her,” Bluder said. “And I just think she’s going to be a fan favorite. I really do. I think that people are going to enjoy watching her play. And so it’s going to be fun. She doesn’t know how good she can be yet.”

Davis, a senior transfer from Central Michigan, also had a solid night. She led the Hawkeyes with 26 minutes on the floor, contributing six points on 3-of-4 shooting and five rebounds, five assists, two turnovers, and a steal.

The 5-foot-7 senior said she knew she wanted to be a Hawkeye from the second she visited.

“They welcomed me with open arms, and it’s just been super fun,” Davis said.

Davis was primarily a point guard during her time at Central Michigan, but she sees herself in more of a shooting guard role at Iowa. While Bluder recruited Davis as a backup to starting point guard Caitlin Clark, she said Davis and Clark could play in tandem as the season progresses.

“Molly’s addition to our team is such a big addition because we didn’t really have a point guard last year,” Bluder said. “I mean, I can’t emphasize that enough how valuable she is to our basketball team.”

Davis started every game in her career at Central Michigan, averaging 17.1 points and 4.3 assists per game.

Bluder said the Hawkeye newcomers will add a lot of depth to her roster this season. She added that her athletes will have the ability to play harder throughout the game because there will be more opportunities to rest.

“They understand that the seniors have to embrace the newcomers and the freshmen in order for us to be successful,” Bluder said. “And they want to teach them, they want to embrace that and tuck them underneath their wing and help them along.”

Iowa will officially begin its season on Nov. 7 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena against Southern at 8:30 p.m.