May the Fourth be with you! In a triumphant return (not of the Jedi), the greatest college basketball player of all time returned to where she launched her stardom.
Fans were lined up outside Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City hours ahead of the 3:00 p.m. Central Time tip-off to catch a glimpse of former Hawkeye star Caitlin Clark.
Clark and the Indiana Fever traveled to Iowa City for a preseason matchup against the Brazilian National Team. When the matchup was announced in January, the tickets sold out in under an hour.
15,000 fans packed Carver-Hawkeye for Clark's highly anticipated return, and in typical Clark fashion, her first basket brought everyone to their feet.
The Iowa faithful have seen the Clark step-back three-point shot hundreds of times, and it never gets old. She started her day with a three, and ended the quarter with a step-back three. The Fever ended the first half with a dominating 70-24 lead.
Clark ended the first half with 13 points (three made three-pointers), five rebounds, and two assists.
The moment of the game came in the late stages of the third quarter. With under 30 seconds left, Clark hit a crazy shot to bring the crowd to their feet.
From two steps over half-court (beyond her No. 22 sticker on the floor), Clark pulled up and DRILLED a deep three-point basket. She let out a roar and smiled as she ran back on defense.
The result was never in doubt as the Fever cruised to a dominating 64-point victory, 180-44.
Clark finished her day with 16 points (four made three-pointers), six rebounds, and five assists, sending the fans home happy. After seeing Clark return to Iowa City, all 15,000 fans left Carver-Hawkeye Arena happy.
Clark and the Fever travel to Atlanta on Saturday, May 10, at 2:00 p.m. Central to battle the Dream in their final preseason tune-up.
The Fever begins the regular season at home against the Chicago Sky on Saturday, May 17 at noon Central Time.