The Iowa women’s basketball post players led the way in the Hawkeyes’ exhibition win over Clarke University at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday.
The Hawkeyes beat the Clarke Pride, 122-49, in the Black and Gold’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena debut for the 2023-24 season, with second-year forward Hannah Stuelke finishing the game with a 27-point, 10-rebound double-double performance.
“It was a lot of fun,” Stuelke said at the post-game press conference. “My teammates did a great job in getting me the ball.”
Iowa dominated in nearly all facets against the reigning NAIA Women’s Basketball National Champions, including out-rebounding Clarke, 48 to 23, which resulted in the Hawkeyes recording 21 second-chance points to the Pride’s three.
“Obviously, we had the size and strength advantage, but I thought we did some really good things,” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said at the press conference. “Now we’re getting ready for the season opener — the real thing.”
Stuelke is expected to build off of a strong freshman campaign that saw her play a big role off of the bench, now replacing last season’s starting power forward McKenna Warnock —the Hawkeyes’ third-leading scorer in their historic NCAA Tournament run last year.
Stuelke said her confidence as a player has grown due to her teammates having more faith in her while the ball is in her hands.
“Being able to make that long run last year gave me a lot of experience that I needed for this year,” she said.
Stuelke averaged 6.5 points and 3.9 rebounds while playing 13 minutes per game last year, and Bluder said she often sees the biggest jump in improvement in players between their first and second years.
“They’ve had a year of working in the weight room, and they understand how physical and how fast the Big Ten is, so they just understand it a little bit better, and now they’re more comfortable,” Bluder said of her younger returning players.
Stuelke also made a three-point shot with a defender in her face in addition to sinking four out of five free throw attempts — showcasing improvements after averaging below 50 percent at the charity stripe last season.
“I struggled with [free throws] last year, so it’s good to start off shooting 80 percent,” she said.
Hawkeye center Sharon Goodman also finished third on the team in points on Sunday with 14 in addition to nine rebounds.
Goodman, a third-year, is looking to make up for lost time this year after missing the entire 2021-22 season due to an ACL injury and appearing in only 13 games last season.
Laughing and smiling throughout the game, Goodman said she had not played as comfortably as she did on Sunday since her freshman year.
“Having that confidence back and seeing all the work that’s been done and all the support from my teammates is just fun,” she said.
While Caitlin Clark had a relatively quiet game by her standards, finishing with 24 points, she compiled nine assists in the game, finding her post players down low for easy scores.
But when asked Stuelke was asked if anticipates leading the team in points going forward, she didn’t go as far as to predict surpassing Clark’s potential shooting output this upcoming season.
“It’s usually the Caitlin Clark show, but I love the Caitlin Clark show,” Stuelke joked. “I’m just happy to help out when I can.”