Iowa

Caitlin Clark wows the sellout crowd in Iowa’s rout of Northwestern on a historic night in Evanston

Published

9 months ago

February 1, 2024

Caitlin Clark wows the sellout crowd in Iowa’s rout of Northwestern on a historic night in Evanston

Few stars are in higher demand than Caitlin Clark. That proved true Wednesday night in Evanston as a sellout crowd packed Welsh-Ryan Arena to watch Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes take on Northwestern.

Fans arrived as early as 10:30 a.m. to jostle for position as close to the court as possible to see college basketball’s biggest star. Minutes before doors opened, the line for general admission seats wrapped halfway around the building.

“It’s the Caitlin Clark effect,” said Paul Alvarez, who attended the game with his wife, Tracy Futterman-Alvarez, and their daughter, Kenzie. “There’s nothing like it. I’ve been a sports fan for 46 years. I’ve been to World Series games, NBA Finals. I’ve seen it all, and this is up there.”

The game marked the first sellout in the history of the Northwestern women’s basketball program. As the president of Wildside — the official student section for Northwestern athletics — Kayla Cohen was used to a more reserved environment at women’s games.

“The last women’s basketball game here, I was Griddying (dancing) in the student section because I was one of, like, four kids,” Cohen said. “So this is a very different environment.”

The sellout crowd of 7,039 was boosted by a large and rowdy contingent of Iowa fans who packed the arena with yellow and black — and plenty of Clark jerseys. Even Northwestern season ticket holders — the Alvarez family included — wore Clark gear.

But Cohen and the Northwestern student section embraced the challenge of balancing out the excitement brought by Clark’s presence.

“I think the No. 1 thing is making it a fair, fun match,” Cohen said before the game. “We’ve got a lot of students here ready to be loud and ready to bring the energy to the Welsh that has definitely intimidated some other opponents. Our student section can be very loud and very strong. We’ve got a ton of Iowa fans in the house tonight so we’ve got a lot of competing voices, but we’re going to be cheering for our Wildcats.”

Caitlin Clark signs a jersey as she leaves the court after leading Iowa to a 110-74 victory against Northwestern on Wednesday night in Evanston. Clark had 35 points to become the Big Ten’s all-time scoring leader and move into second place on the NCAA all-time list.

The fans supporting the Hawkeyes represented a vibrant mix: Iowa graduates eager to represent their alma mater and young fans learning to love the game by watching Clark.

Nick Foreman helped wrangle a group of 58 girls from the North Shore Stars, a local basketball program for fourth through eighth graders. Cat Arnswald was a graduate of Dowling Catholic — where Clark attended high school in West Des Moines — and brought her 9-year-old daughter, Nora, to see her favorite player.

On the drive to the arena, Nora told Arnswald: “I just wish that Caitlin knew that I loved her more than anybody loves her.”

Betsy Zurek, 46, was another Dowling Catholic graduate who was eager to see a fellow West Des Moines native thrive in Chicago. She brought her daughter, Amelia Lochner, 8, who dressed as Clark for Halloween.

Omolola Odugbesan, 11, and her younger sister, Olukeni, were most excited to witness a piece of history: watching Clark become the No. 2 scorer in NCAA women’s basketball history.

Clark reached the milestone in the second quarter. On one basket, she broke the Big Ten all-time scoring record and surpassed Ohio State legend Kelsey Mitchell (3,402 points) to move into second on the NCAA list. Four points earlier, Clark had passed Jackie Stiles (3,393).

Iowa fans mob guard Caitlin Clark (22) as she leaves Welsh-Ryan Arena after Iowa defeated Northwestern 110-74 on Wednesday in Evanston.

Clark has 3,422 points after finishing with 35 on Wednesday in the Hawkeyes’ 110-74 victory. She’s 105 points behind all-time women’s leader Kelsey Plum (3,527). Pete Maravich (3,667) holds the men’s NCAA record .

The feat was a small reflection of how Clark has influenced women’s basketball at the collegiate level.

“She gives so much besides just being a great player,” said Jess Dejesus, whose son graduated from Iowa in 2015. “Talent aside, she just has a really big heart for the game. It’s sometimes hard to explain because girls like her come very, very seldom. We’ve been basketball fans for a long time, Iowa sports fans for a long time. And there’s been some great players but no one that rises in the way that she does.”

Clark has been a galvanizing force in her senior season, selling out every arena she stepped into. She and the Hawkeyes drew 9.9 million viewers when they faced LSU in the NCAA final last season, a record for a women’s college game.

But for longtime fans of women’s basketball, it’s difficult to predict how much Clark’s success will translate to the growth of the professional game when she enters the WNBA draft — either this spring or next year.

“I thought it happened years ago with Billie Jean King and tennis,” said Emily Beswick, who waited in line for more than three hours to snag front-row seats in the general admission section. “I’d like to see it happen for basketball and for the WNBA.”

That was a common theme of conversations throughout the night for fans of Clark and women’s basketball at large — for the sport to continue to grow, Clark’s success at Iowa can only be the start.

“It has to extend far beyond Caitlin graduating from Iowa,” Arnswald said. “That’s what will actually change things.”

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Iowa

Fatal crash on I-35 in Iowa

Published

4 hours ago

October 13, 2024

Press Room

NORTHWOOD, Iowa (KTTC) – One person is dead after a single-vehicle crash Sunday afternoon in Worth County.

According to Iowa State Patrol, around 1:45 p.m., a vehicle was traveling southbound on Interstate 35 in Worth County near the 208-exit ramp. The driver lost control of the vehicle, went into the median, through the cable barrier and struck the bridge pillar.

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Iowa

Updating Iowa State rankings in college football polls ahead of UCF matchup

Published

12 hours ago

October 13, 2024

Press Room

Updating Iowa State rankings in college football polls ahead of UCF matchup

The latest college football polls have been released, and Iowa State keeps moving up.

Iowa State improved to 6-0 after beating West Virginia 28-16 on Saturday in Morgantown.

The Cyclones are now set for a matchup at home vs. UCF on Saturday, Oct. 19.

Iowa State rankings update

Where did Iowa State land?

On Sunday, Iowa State checked in at No. 12 in USATODAY US LBM coaches poll. Previously, the Cyclones were No. 13.

Iowa State climbed up to No. 9 in the newest AP Top 25 college football poll. Last week, the Cyclones were No. 11.

US LBM Coaches Poll

Here is a look at the new US LBM college football coaches poll top 25.

Texas
Oregon
Penn State
Georgia
Ohio State
Miami (Fla.)
Alabama
LSU
Clemson
Tennessee
Notre Dame
Iowa State
BYU
Texas A&M
Ole Miss
Missouri
Kansas State
Indiana
Boise State
Pittsburgh
Illinois
Michigan
SMU
Army West Point
Nebraska

Schools Dropped Out

No. 16 Oklahoma; No. 17 Utah

Others Receiving Votes

Oklahoma 81; Arizona State 49; Navy 37; Utah 31; Vanderbilt 26; Syracuse 13; UNLV 12; Iowa 12; Texas Tech 9; Liberty 9; Washington State 8; Memphis 4; Louisville 4; James Madison 3; Tulane 2

AP Poll

Here is a look at the new Associated Press college football poll top 25

Texas
Oregon
Penn State
Ohio State
Georgia
Miami (Fla.)
Alabama
LSU
Iowa State
Clemson
Tennessee
Notre Dame
BYU
Texas A&M
Boise State
Indiana
Kansas State
Ole Miss
Missouri
PIttsburgh
SMU
Illinois
Army West Point
Michigan
Navy

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES:

Vanderbilt 68, Nebraska 62, Arizona St. 39, Oklahoma 36, Washington St. 32, Iowa 29, Texas Tech 18, Syracuse 13, Arkansas 13, Utah 7, Louisville 6, Southern Cal 5, Liberty 2, UNLV 1.

Reach Eugene Rapay at erapay@gannett.com and follow him on X/Twitter @erapay5.

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Iowa

Becht, Hansen lead No. 11 Iowa State over West Virginia 28-16 for first 6-0 start since 1938

Published

19 hours ago

October 13, 2024

Press Room

Becht, Hansen lead No. 11 Iowa State over West Virginia 28-16 for first 6-0 start since 1938

Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht believes the Cyclones have yet to hit their peak during their best start in 86 years.

Carson Hansen rushed for three scores, Becht threw a touchdown pass and No. 11 Iowa State beat West Virginia 28-16 on Saturday night.

The Cyclones (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) opened the season with six wins for the first time since 1938.

“I feel like we haven’t even played our best game yet as a whole — special teams, defense, and offense,” Becht said. The goal is “finding ways to get better each and every single week, and our mindset is just 0-0 and trying to win that next game.”

Iowa State forged a first-place tie in the league with BYU and idle Texas Tech.

The Cyclones broke open a close game by scoring two touchdowns after intercepting West Virginia’s Garrett Greene in the second half.

Becht found Eli Green on passes of 12 and 34 yards on consecutive plays to set up the Cyclones at the West Virginia 17. A third-down holding call on West Virginia cornerback Ayden Garnes gave Iowa State first-and-goal at the 3, and Hansen scored on the next play for a 21-10 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Jontez Williams made his third interception of the season on West Virginia’s next drive, and Iowa State took over at the Mountaineers’ 34. Hansen ran for 20 yards on the ensuing drive, capped by his 2-yard scoring run for a 28-10 lead with 4:42 left.

Hansen, a sophomore who also scored on an 11-yard run in the second quarter, finished with 96 rushing yards, one shy of the career high he set last week against Baylor. He ran for a total of 67 yards during an injury-filled freshman season.

“For him to consistently play the way he has the last couple of weeks, it’s awesome to watch,” Becht said.

West Virginia (3-3, 2-1) was held to 148 rushing yards against the league’s top defense after amassing 389 yards on the ground a week ago at Oklahoma State. The Mountaineers were hurt by several high snaps that threw off their timing and runs parallel to the line of scrimmage that lost yardage.

“In the second half, when it was winning time, we didn’t win,” said West Virginia coach Neal Brown. “We struggled to get into a rhythm.”

Becht completed 18 of 26 passes for 265 yards, including a 60-yard scoring toss to Jaylin Noel in blown coverage in the second quarter.

Becht’s father, Anthony, was honored on the field after the first quarter for his induction into the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. He played tight end for the Mountaineers from 1996-99 and 11 seasons in the NFL.

“You couldn’t ask for a greater night for his family,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said.

Rocco Becht said he wished he could have been there with his dad, “but I had bigger things going on trying to win this game.”

Jahiem White had an 8-yard scoring run and a 10-yard TD catch for West Virginia. Greene finished 18 of 32 for 206 yards.

Iowa State: The Cyclones answered the challenge on both sides of the ball in winning their seventh straight road game. Becht played smart and efficient, and the nation’s sixth-best scoring defense was stout again.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers many too many mistakes at key times and now have lost eight consecutive games to ranked opponents.

Iowa State might have a tough time moving up when the AP poll comes out on Sunday. The Cyclones were tied at No. 11 with Notre Dame, which beat Stanford 49-7.

Iowa State: Hosts UCF on Saturday night.

West Virginia: Hosts No. 18 Kansas State on Saturday night.

___ Get alerts on the latest AP Top 25 poll throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

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