IOWA CITY, Iowa — A day that started with Caitlin Clark’s triumphant return to Carver-Hawkeye Arena ended with the WNBA basking in the spotlight.
No Iowa athlete in the last 80 years can match Clark’s impact, and that was on full display from the parking lot tailgates four hours before tipoff to the 117-decibel explosion when she connected on her first 3-pointer Sunday afternoon. Tickets for Indiana Fever’s exhibition — a 108-44 win against the Brazilian national team — sold out in 24 minutes and nearly every row in the 14,998-seat arena featured a No. 22 T-shirt or jersey. That’s the Caitlin Clark Effect.
But more than Clark’s 36-foot 3-pointer or the fact she played at all with a tight left quad muscle, the crowd’s makeup told a bigger story. Red shirts and jerseys were everywhere, which is unusual considering how much that color is despised by Iowa fans. Former Ohio State scorer Kelsey Mitchell put up 27 points in her last Carver-Hawkeye Arena appearance seven years ago, but now she plays alongside Clark. When Mitchell unleashed a 3-pointer to put the Fever up 6-0, the eruption reached 116 decibels.
Rivalries were set aside as fans embraced and celebrated the Fever. All of the Fever, not just Clark.
Complete 𝗖𝗖haos 🤯@CaitlinClark22 x #Hawkeyes Read more…
