Iowa coach Lisa Bluder: Nice to finally play against someone else
Hear from Hannah Stuelke, Caitlin Clark, Lisa Bluder and Sharon Goodman after Iowa’s win over FDU
IOWA CITY — While it seemed ominous that there was a clock malfunction and a referee timeout before the first possession of the season crossed halfcourt, Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes made sure that was the only hiccup of the night.
No. 3 Iowa women’s basketball wasted no time in shutting down the mighty Fairleigh Dickinson on Monday night, handing the Knights a season-opening 102-46 loss at mostly packed Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
After Hannah Stuelke won her first pick as a starter, no time passed, necessitating a delay as several Hawkeyes smiled at the irony. Clark made up for lost time immediately after play resumed.
A 17-point first-quarter performance as part of another quality stat line – 28 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds – marked Clark’s start as she weaved her way through FDU’s defense without much resistance. There was an early low blow and an impressive four-point game. Drives, dishes and everything else showed off the entire arsenal from the jump.
“Our transition game early on was good,” Clark said. “As a team, only seven turnovers with 28 assists is really good. We are proud of that: lots of assists and low numbers of ball losses. At the beginning of the year, sometimes those (sales) numbers can be a little high.”
With an 18-point lead after 10 minutes and a 30-point lead midway through the first half, Monday’s affair soon became what the Hawkeyes wanted. With a treacherous schedule this first month, this FDU matchup was truly Iowa’s best chance to try things out right at the start.
It started with Sharon Goodman making her first college start, a beautiful moment after two years marred by a torn ACL. The Crestwood High School graduate responded with a career-high 19 points on 7-for-8 shooting.
“It just increased confidence as we went through training,” Goodman said. “I have great teammates who keep telling me to keep going.
“(Post) coach (Jan Jensen) always says, ‘You know what you’re capable of.’ So I just have faith in this thing.”
Otherwise, all healthy Hawkeyes performed in the first half as Iowa adopted several four-man lineups with either Stuelke, Addison O’Grady or Goodman at the five-man position.
The Hawkeyes have relied on internal growth throughout the season, and Monday was a solid start. Dominant nights from Stuelke (22 points, 9 rebounds on 9-for-10 shooting) and Goodman led the down-low effort and showed why Iowa felt it needed to be in this area in the offseason following Monika’s departure Czinano didn’t have to improve.
“I know it’s one game and everyone is worried about our inside game,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. “But Hannah and Sharon had really good evenings. I know the competition will be tougher, but it’s a good confidence boost for everyone.”
With opening night in the rearview mirror, it’s time for Iowa to move on to greater things. Monday’s win was the only real breather the Hawkeyes will get this month. Next up are games against Virginia Tech, UNI, Kansas State and Drake before November ends in Florida.
Dargan Southard is a sports trends reporter who covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.