Caitlin Clark leads Iowa to its first win on the foreign tour, slaying Naples by a thumping margin
The Iowa Hawkeyes and their star guard Caitlin Clark recently flew to Europe for their foreign tour and made their first stop in Naples, Italy, on Aug. 4.
The Hawkeyes took on Team Slammers today in what was their first competitive matchup since the championship game back in April.
The Hawkeyes beat Team Slammers 116-46. The massive 70-point victory was led by Caitlin Clark, the top scorer, with 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Addison O'Grady also had a perfect shooting night for Iowa, recording 16 points and being 8/8 from the field.
Six Iowa players scored in double digits, as the team looked rock solid going into the second game of their tour.
Hawkeye W in Naples
IOWA 116
TEAM SLAMMERS 46
Caitlin Clark- 17 pts, 7 ast, 5 reb
Addison O'Grady- 16 pts, 8/8 shooting
Sydney Affolter- 15 pts, 13 reb, 5 ast
Taylor McCabe- 14 pts, 4/9 3pt
Molly Davis- 13 pts, 5 ast
Kate Martin- 13 pts, 5 ast
Hannah Stuelke- 12 pts, 4 reb pic.twitter.com/u4FR69OQT5
The Hawkeyes will now face the Croatian club KK Tresnjevka 2009 on Aug. 11. They then take on the Croatian All-Stars on Aug. 13 in the final game of their foreign tour.
Let the games begin 🌏🏀
#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/xhRuJVqlBX
The streaming details for these foreign tour matchups are yet to be released, though the links will be available before the games.
What's next for Caitlin Clark and Iowa?
Recovering from a tough loss, the international tour will help the Iowa roster and head coach Lisa Bluder prepare for the upcoming college basketball season. Last year, the Hawkeyes finished with a 31-7 record and stood second in the Big Ten.
Iowa has a great chance to win the national championship next year, and the team has started with its competitive scrims already.
The program's star player Caitlin Clark is a gifted scorer who averaged 27.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game in the previous season. Her game is well-balanced and organized in all aspects.
Despite coming up short in the championship game, Clark still had a fantastic performance, putting up 30 points.
Caitlin Clark will have her final shot at the national championship as she enters her senior year. She is also the projected number-one pick in the 2024 WNBA draft.
This final season will dictate Clark's position among other candidates. It will be interesting to see whether she will have a national title under her name by the end of her college basketball career.