Behind a double-double from star Caitlin Clark, the Iowa women’s basketball team is off to a hot start with a dominant win over Fairleigh Dickinson at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Monday.

Following a historic season that ended in a runner-up finish at the NCAA Tournament National Championship, the Hawkeyes enter this season with one goal in mind — to “win it all.” 

After the team’s Big Ten Championship and Final Four banner was unveiled before the game, the Hawkeyes took the floor and showed the college basketball world that they are national championship contenders once again. 

Right from the opening tip, Iowa scored early and often, cruising to a 102-46 win. 

Despite only playing 24 minutes, fourth-year Clark stole the show once again with 28 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds.

In the first quarter alone, Clark eased her way to 19 points on 8-of-11 from the field and 3-of-5 from deep.

Goodman says goodnight

Entering the game, the expectation was that third-year center Addi O’Grady would get the start, but Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder instead went with third-year Sharon Goodman at the five.

“She’s been asking for the ball and scoring at a good rate,” Bluder said of Goodman. “She also runs the floor hard.”

Goodman rose to the occasion in a career plagued by injuries thus far, notching a career-high 19 points to go along with four rebounds. 

“This is my first start since 2020, and I’m grateful for my coaches and my teammates,” Goodman said. 

Despite not getting the starting nod, O’Grady played her role and finished the game with nine points, four rebounds, and three assists.

Dynamic duo developing?

In the first quarter, the Knights hung around briefly due to a couple of three-pointers, but the Hawkeyes were able to get their high-powered offense on the run, especially out in transition. 

Clark scored effortlessly while fans continued to marvel at her outstanding shooting ability. And the Des Moines native continued to show her elite court vision by finding open teammates in transition. 

Following a tremendous offseason, forward Hannah Stuelke was expected to take an even bigger leap after a fantastic freshman season last year.

The current second-year did not disappoint tonight, scoring 22 points while hauling in nine rebounds.

After primarily getting most of her buckets in the paint last season, one of the focal points of Stuelke’s offseason was to work on her jump shot and free throw shooting, especially the latter after struggling last year. 

The 6-foot-2 forward went 3-for-3 from the charity stripe and currently has a higher percentage there than Clark, who was an 83 percent foul shooter last season. 

Following the game, Clark said she’d be more than happy to see Stuelke with a higher free throw percentage than herself. 

“I’ll sign up for that,” Clark said. 

Oh, and Stuelke knocked down a three pointer, which got a nice roar from the crowd. 

The return

Another notable presence on the floor this evening was third-year Kylie Feuerbach, who made her return to the court for the first time in over a year after battling an ACL injury last season. 

Though she did not score from the field, the Iowa State transfer logged 17 minutes of action while snagging a pair of rebounds. 

Up next 

Iowa returns to action on Thursday against the No. 8 Virginia Tech Hokies, who also competed in last season’s Final Four. The game will be played on a neutral court in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

Clark knows the Hokies will be a challenge but is excited for the opportunity. 

“They play a very similar style of basketball, so it’s going to be a great challenge for us,” Clark said.