29,619. That was the highest recorded attendance in women’s basketball in history up until Sunday, October 15th, 2023. 

The 21-year attendance record was broken when 55,646 people flooded the stands of Kinnick Stadium to watch the Iowa women’s basketball team take on the DePaul Blue Demons in an exhibition game. This game was the first women’s basketball game to be played outdoors in a football stadium. Previously, it was known that volleyball matches were frequently arriving at football stadiums in the same way, but the Iowa vs DePaul game brought history to NCAA WBB. 

The previous attendance record had stood since 2002 when 29,619 witnessed the national title game between Oklahoma and UConn at Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. 

The matchup itself was watch-worthy as it featured one of the top-ranked schools in women’s basketball in the nation, and also a fierce competitor from the BIG 10. The Iowa Hawkeyes are led by the reigning National Player of the Year, Caitlin Clark, who tallied 34 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. DePaul was led by Anaya Peoples, who scored 19 points and had 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Iowa came out on top 94-72. 

This once-in-a-lifetime experience brought a lot of excitement to not just the Hawkeyes and the Blue Demons, but also the rest of the women’s basketball world. Many hope for more unique opportunities like this one.