IOWA CITY, Iowa — Before a modest but festive crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the No. 4 Iowa Hawkeyes took the court to open their highly-anticipated season against the Jaguars of Southern University, an HBCU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After an offseason of intense reflection and recharging, the time had finally come for the Hawkeyes to begin to prove that they belong on the national stage.
The expectations coming into this season are enormous. They are coming off a resounding season in which they were the Big Ten regular season and tournament champions as well as enduring a heartbreaking defeat in the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament against Creighton on their home court. Obviously a moment that is seared into their collective memory but one that they are looking to not be defined by.
In addition, they have their core group back in full swing and ready for the challenge under the guidance of head coach Lisa Bluder. That group includes of course their junior sensation Caitlin Clark whose resume speaks for itself and who’s destined for even bigger things this year. Their powerful and reliable center Monika Czinano is back for her fifth and final season as her stature continues to grow. The trio of Gabbie Marshall, Kate Martin, and McKenna Warnock round out their stellar starting offense with efficient playmaking and shooting.
With the addition of a few transfers, a relatively healthier bench, and a renewed focus, the Hawkeyes are poised for greatness this year but it starts with the first game.
From the start, the Hawkeyes wasted no time. They moved the ball around, got to the glass, looked for the open shot, were scrappy on defense, and fittingly it was Clark who hit the first basket of the season. Through the first three minutes, the Hawkeyes were overall tentative and still looking to find their footing and understandably so.
But then at the 6:53 mark, dead silence fell over Carver as Clark fell to the floor. In clear pain, she was pounding her hand on the court and had to be helped off limping and ushered back into the training room. The last thing anyone could have expected on opening night.
A spark was desperately needed and everyone wondered who was going to light it?
At 6:44, Czinano got the crowd back in with a hard-fought basket resulting in an extra point and giving Iowa a 7-2 lead.
However, Southern took advantage of the brief missing presence of Clark as best they could. They were clearly outmatched in every aspect but they…
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