Crossover at Kinnick
{{Infobox NCAA basketball game
| name = Crossover at Kinnick
| image = Flyover at the Crossover at Kinnick (8075459).jpg
| caption = A view from behind the scorers table during the 2023 game
| year = 2023–24
| gender = w
| visitor_name_short = DePaul
| visitor_nickname = Blue Demons
| visitor_school = DePaul University
| visitor_coach = Doug Bruno
| home_name_short = Iowa
| home_nickname = Hawkeyes
| home_school = University of Iowa
| home_coach = Lisa Bluder
| visitor_per1 = 18
| visitor_per2 = 19
| visitor_per3 = 14
| visitor_per4 = 21
| home_per1 = 24
| home_per2 = 28
| home_per3 = 25
| home_per4 = 17
| date = October 15, 2023
| referee = {{ubl|Michael McConnell|Maggie Tieman| Nykesha Thompson}}
| arena = Kinnick Stadium
| city = Iowa City, Iowa United States
| attendance = 55,646
| US_network = Big Ten Network
| US_announcers = {{ubl|Mike Hall (play-by-play)|Christy Winters-Scott (color analyst)|Meghan McKeown (color analyst)}}
| MVP = Caitlin Clark
| anthem = Hawkeye Marching Band
| halftime = Hawkeye Marching Band
| odds =
}}
Crossover at Kinnick was an American exhibition women's college basketball game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the DePaul Blue Demons. Held at Kinnick Stadium, the home stadium of the Hawkeyes football team, the game set the women's basketball single-game attendance record (55,646). Led by reigning national player of the year Caitlin Clark, who had a 34-point triple-double, Iowa defeated DePaul, 94–72.
Background
In the 2022–23 season, Iowa reached the 2023 NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game, losing to LSU. The success of guard Caitlin Clark, who earned all major national player of the year awards, drove record ticket sales for the 2023–24 team.{{cite web |last1=Olson |first1=Eric |title=Iowa women’s basketball enjoys big surge in popularity with run to title game and Clark’s return |url=https://apnews.com/article/iowa-hawkeyes-basketball-caitlin-clark-52f769e419f0c58015a8863d89834bd6 |publisher=Associated Press |access-date=October 15, 2023 |date=October 4, 2023}} DePaul finished with a 16–17 record and missed the NCAA tournament, before losing star forward Aneesah Morrow to the transfer portal.{{cite web |last1=Zbroszczyk |first1=Preston |title=No more Morrow: Star leads exodus of Blue Demons into transfer portal |url=https://depauliaonline.com/63666/sports/no-more-morrow-star-leads-exodus-of-blue-demons-into-transfer-portal/ |website=The DePaulia |access-date=October 15, 2023 |date=April 9, 2023}}
On August 10, 2023, Iowa announced that it would host DePaul in a preseason exhibition game at Kinnick Stadium, the school's football stadium, with proceeds going to the University of Iowa Children's Hospital. In case of inclement weather, the game would be moved to Carver–Hawkeye Arena.{{cite web |last1=Kopatich |first1=Kate |title=Iowa Women’s Basketball to host ‘Crossover at Kinnick’ |url=https://www.kwqc.com/2023/08/10/iowa-womens-basketball-host-crossover-kinnick/ |publisher=KWQC-TV |access-date=October 15, 2023 |date=August 10, 2023}} Head coaches Lisa Bluder of Iowa and Doug Bruno of DePaul first discussed the idea for the game during a private preseason scrimmage between their teams in the previous year.{{cite web |last1=Boden |first1=Chris |title=DePaul women’s basketball prepares historic outdoor game |url=https://wgntv.com/sports/gn-sports/depaul-womens-basketball-prepares-historic-outdoor-game/ |publisher=WGN-TV |access-date=October 15, 2023 |date=October 13, 2023}} Bluder proposed the idea to Iowa interim athletic director Beth Goetz shortly after the 2023 NCAA tournament, inspired by the success of the campus celebration of the 2022–23 team, which drew 9,000 fans, and the school's Grapple on the Gridiron wrestling meet in 2015.{{cite web |last1=Roering |first1=Kenna |title=‘Makes the young ones believe’: Iowa women’s basketball guard Caitlin Clark’s immeasurable impact on women’s sports |url=https://dailyiowan.com/2023/10/10/makes-the-young-ones-believe-iowa-womens-basketball-guard-caitlin-clarks-immeasurable-impact-on-womens-sports/ |website=The Daily Iowan |access-date=October 16, 2023 |date=October 10, 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Bohnenkamp |first1=John |title=Clark's triple-double highlights game at Kinnick. Women's basketball record crowd of 55,646 shows up |url=https://apnews.com/article/iowa-hawkeyes-kinnick-caitlin-clark-6c268030b17f1042cea51f8e1202ac02 |publisher=Associated Press |access-date=October 16, 2023 |date=October 15, 2023}}
Game summary
File:Flyover at the Crossover at Kinnick (8075451).jpg and Gabbie Marshall on the sidelines at Crossover at Kinnick in 2023|alt=Clark on the sidelines with her Iowa teammates]]
File:230303 JohnMc IA Purdue 92.jpg led Iowa to a win with a 34-point triple-double.]]
Crossover at Kinnick had an attendance of 55,646, the highest for a single game in women's basketball history. The previous record was 29,619, in the national championship of the 2002 NCAA tournament between UConn and Oklahoma at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.{{cite web |last1=Ellison |first1=Maya |title=History from Kinnick! Iowa's sets women's basketball attendance record at 55,646 |url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-women/article/2023-10-12/history-kinnick-iowas-sets-womens-basketball-attendance-record-55646 |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association |access-date=October 16, 2023 |date=October 16, 2023}} It was the first women's basketball game to be played in an outdoor football stadium.{{cite web |last1=Joseph |first1=Sam |title=Iowa Hawkeyes break attendance record in historic game at Kinnick Stadium |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/16/sport/iowa-basketball-ncaa-attendance-record-spt-intl/index.html |publisher=CNN |access-date=October 16, 2023 |date=October 16, 2023}} The game was televised on the Big Ten Network, with Mike Hall on play-by-play commentary and Christy Winters-Scott and Meghan McKeown as color analysts.{{cite web |last1=Southard |first1=Dargan |title=What TV channel has Iowa women's basketball's Crossover at Kinnick Stadium today? |url=https://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sports/college/iowa/basketball-women/2023/10/15/how-to-watch-caitlin-clark-iowa-basketball-crossover-at-kinnick-stadium-hawkeyes-big-ten-network/71172373007/ |publisher=Hawk Central |access-date=October 16, 2023 |date=October 15, 2023}}
After DePaul led by three early in the first quarter, Iowa rallied and held the lead for the rest of the game.{{cite web |last1=Meglio |first1=Chris |title=Iowa women’s basketball defeats DePaul in historic Crossover at Kinnick game |url=https://dailyiowan.com/2023/10/15/iowa-womens-basketball-defeats-depaul-in-historic-crossover-at-kinnick-game/ |website=The Daily Iowan |access-date=October 16, 2023 |date=October 15, 2023}} The Hawkeyes started the second quarter on a 10–3 run to extend their lead to double digits. At halftime, Iowa led 52–37, behind 24 points, seven assists and five rebounds from Caitlin Clark.{{cite web |last1=Huesmann |first1=Kyle |title=PHOTO GALLERY: Iowa defeats DePaul in 'Crossover at Kinnick' |url=https://www.on3.com/teams/iowa-hawkeyes/news/photo-gallery-iowa-defeats-depaul-crossover-at-kinnick/ |publisher=On3 |access-date=October 16, 2023 |date=October 16, 2023}} They finished the third quarter with a 77–51 lead and won the game, 94–72, despite a 15–0 run from DePaul to start the fourth quarter.{{cite web |last1=Southard |first1=Dargan |title=Caitlin Clark's triple-double punctuates Crossover at Kinnick as Iowa topples DePaul |url=https://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sports/college/iowa/basketball-women/2023/10/15/iowa-womens-basketball-crossover-at-kinnick-stadium-caitlin-clark-vs-depaul-big-ten-lisa-bluder/71141874007/ |publisher=Hawk Central |access-date=October 16, 2023 |date=October 15, 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Linder |first1=Jeff |title=‘Crossover’ women’s basketball exhibition draws a Kinnick crowd of 55,646 |url=https://www.thegazette.com/iowa-basketball/crossover-womens-basketball-exhibition-draws-a-kinnick-crowd-of-55646/ |website=The Gazette |access-date=October 16, 2023 |date=October 15, 2023}} Clark posted a triple-double of 34 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, while Anaya Peoples led DePaul with 19 points and five rebounds.{{cite web |last1=Young |first1=Ryan |title=Caitlin Clark, Iowa set NCAA attendance record in exhibition at Kinnick Stadium |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/caitlin-clark-iowa-set-ncaa-attendance-record-in-exhibition-at-kinnick-stadium-214731463.html |publisher=Yahoo! Sports |access-date=October 16, 2023 |date=October 15, 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://storage.googleapis.com/hawkeyesports-com/2023/10/1cbad82e-gamebook.pdf |title=Official Basketball Box Score - DePaul at Iowa |publisher=University of Iowa Athletics |access-date=2024-05-26}}
Aftermath
The game raised about $250,000 for the University of Iowa Children's Hospital.{{cite web |last1=Rojas |first1=Alejandro |title=Crossover at Kinnick raises $250,000 for UI Stead Family Hospital |url=https://dailyiowan.com/2023/10/15/crossover-at-kinnick-raises-250000-for-ui-stead-family-hospital/ |website=The Daily Iowan |access-date=October 16, 2023 |date=October 15, 2023}} It drew attention to the growing popularity of women's sports, with analysts comparing it to Volleyball Day in Nebraska, an August 2023 outdoor volleyball game hosted by Nebraska, which was the highest-attended women's sporting event of all time.{{cite web |last1=Brown |first1=Chelsie |title=More than 52,000 fans expected at ‘Crossover at Kinnick’ |url=https://www.kcrg.com/2023/10/12/more-than-52000-fans-expected-crossover-kinnick/ |publisher=KRCG |access-date=October 16, 2023 |date=October 12, 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Schnell |first1=Lindsay |title=Caitlin Clark, Iowa draw huge crowd to football stadium: 'For little girls, this is normal' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/basketball/2023/10/15/iowa-womens-basketball-sets-attendance-record-wnba-draw-huge-crowds/71199710007/ |website=USA Today |access-date=October 16, 2023 |date=October 15, 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Hruby |first1=Emma |title=Crossover at Kinnick: Iowa basketball aims for attendance record |url=https://justwomenssports.com/reads/iowa-womens-basketball-outdoor-game-crossover-at-kinnick-2023/ |publisher=Just Women's Sports |access-date=October 16, 2023 |date=October 13, 2023}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://hawkeyesports.com/boxscore/depaul-10-15-2023/ Box score]
{{DePaul Blue Demons women's basketball navbox}}
{{Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball navbox}}
Category:College basketball games in the United States
Category:Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball
Category:DePaul Blue Demons women's basketball
Category:October 2023 sports events in the United States