Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 14, 2023, the Iowa Hawkeyes hosted more than 55,000 fans at Kinnick Stadium to shatter the NCAA attendance record for women’s basketball. The Crossover at Kinnick saw the Caitlin Clark-led Hawkeyes dominate DePaul for a 94-72 exhibition victory during the first women’s basketball game played outdoors in a football stadium.
Riding into a season of high expectations, Lisa Bluder’s Hawks prepared for the season by making history with the exhibition against DePaul. The previous attendance record for women’s basketball, set when 29,619 fans saw Oklahoma battle UConn at the Alamodome in San Antonio, fell as 55,646 Hawkeye fans arrived at Kinnick for the exhibition contest.
Clark, coming off a memorable season where she captured National Player of the Year honors, tallied a triple-double with 34 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. “Our team was kind of giddy getting ready to walk down the tunnel because we understand that this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Clark commented after the gain.
“What a day for our state and the game of women’s basketball, 55,000 people in attendance is crazy” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said after the game. “Today was everything we could’ve imagined, and I’m happy for our girls because they got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” All net proceeds from the event were donated to The University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
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