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History from Kinnick! Iowa's sets women's basketball attendance record at 55,646 – NCAA.com
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History has been made in Iowa City! Facing off against DePaul in a charity exhibition game at Kinnick Stadium, home of the Hawkeyes football team, Iowa set the women’s basketball attendance record Sunday at 55,646.
Iowa’s black-and-gold faithful shattered the previous record set in 2002 — 29,619 attended the NCAA national championship that year between UConn and Oklahoma in San Antonio — on an inspiring afternoon that redirected all profits toward the adjacent Iowa Children’s Hospital.
The record crowd watched reigning Naismith National Player of the Year Caitlin Clark post an emphatic 34-point triple-double as Iowa bounced DePaul 94-71.
Read more about the historic afternoon at Kinnick below:
Long before opening tip from Kinnick Stadium’s makeshift hardwood Sunday, it was clear that the hordes of incoming Hawkeye fans would lay waste to the existing women’s basketball attendance record.
Now, we know by exactly how much. With the Hawkeyes growing their lead near 20 points early in the third quarter, a PA annoucement confirmed the attendance in Iowa City Sunday at 55,646, nearly double the previous record established at the 2002 Women’s Final Four.
Made 𝐇𝐄𝐑story 🤩#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/ghPY4FTqrW
The intermission couldn’t slow the Hawkeyes’ super-powered offense, with a Caitlin Clark three opening up Iowa’s largest lead of the game at 22 late in the third quarter.
Strong gusts and hand-stinging temperatures have hardly slowed down Caitlin Clark and the Iowa offense in their exhibition at Kinnick Stadium, scoring 52 points to take a 15-point halftime lead against DePaul.
Clark already nears her lofty average from a year ago, scoring 24 points in the opening 20 minutes, including a long-range bomb that sent the record-breaking crowd at Kinnick into a frenzy.
Caitlin Clark has picked up right where she left off! pic.twitter.com/yd2MMc6DTm
The reigning Naismith Player of the Year has also been an effective facilitator, racking up seven assists and connecting nicely with emerging front-court star Addison O’Grady, who appears set for a much greater role in 2023-24.
The end of the first quarter can only mean one thing at Kinnick Stadium, even with an unfamiliar hardwood (and an unfamiliar offensive explosion) taking over the field below.
After a basket from Hawkeye taliswoman Catilin Clark extended Iowa’s lead to 24-18 ahead of the break, nearly 70,000 at Kinnick Stadium turned toward the adjacent Children’s Hospital. Joined by the players, coaches and referees, “The Greatest Tradition in Sports” ensued as the black-and-yellow faithful spent more than a minute delivering a wave of support and compassion toward the children battling at the overlooking hospital.
Take a look at the exceptional footage below, and stay tuned as Iowa and DePaul continue a tightly-contested exhibition game.
Bigger than basketball 💛#Hawkeyes
pic.twitter.com/3KLYmlCVo1
Here’s what you need to know, including the expected layout for the event:
Sunday’s outing comes less than two months after another women’s sport broke a record. In August, Nebraska women’s volleyball hosted a double-header at Memorial Stadium and broke the world attendance record for a women’s sporting event with 92,003.
Now it’s Iowa’s turn for the spotlight — playing outside at a football stadium with a sport’s attendance record in sight.
“It’s incredible,” Iowa star Caitlin Clark said earlier this month. “I’m super excited. I think just watching Nebraska volleyball and what they were able to do. Obviously ours is going to be a little bit on a smaller level, but still, we’re going to be able to break the women’s basketball record for most people at a game.”
📰 CROSSOVER AT KINNICK: More on how Clark, Iowa hope to break a record
Fans have the ability to purchase $20 Rain or Shine tickets or $5 general admission with all proceeds going to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
While approximately 48,000 tickets have been sold, athletic officials have made accommodations for potential weather challenges on Sunday, specifically moving over to Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which seats a maximum capacity of about 15,000 in comparison to Kinnick Stadium’s 69,000+.
“If Crossover at Kinnick is moved to Carver-Hawkeye Arena due to inclement weather, Iowa Athletics will accommodate only those who purchased a $20 Rain or Shine event ticket. Tickets for Carver-Hawkeye Arena will be for general admission,” Iowa Athletic officials stated on the site.
⛹️♀️ MORE WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL ⛹️♀️
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Below, find the list of women’s college basketball games that have made their way to the record books for the highest single-session attendance records:
Tennessee (89) vs. UConn (80)
Jan. 5, 2002
For more information, visit the Iowa Athletics website to learn more about Sunday’s scrimmage.
Maya Ellison joined NCAA.com in July 2023 as a Digital-Editorial Intern. She is a two-time award-winning journalist who has over 12 internships with companies such as NASCAR, FOX 5 Atlanta, Orlando Sentinel and ESPN. She is an Atlanta native and a Spring 2023 graduate of Florida A&M University with her Bachelor of Science in Broadcast Journalism. You can follow her on Twitter @themayaellison.
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