Caitlin Clark reacts to Iowa's sweet gesture as Hawkeyes pay tribute to cancer survivors 

Despite graduating a year ago, Caitlin Clark still follows the Iowa Hawkeyes, and she left a sweet reaction to her alma mater's sweet gesture on their latest Instagram post. Sunday's matchup against the UCLA Bruins was the Hawkeyes' pink day game, where Iowa players wear pink jerseys to honor cancer survivors and raise awareness about the disease.

During the practice session before the tip-off, the Hawkeyes players usually sit down in a circle to share their thoughts and this time, they were joined by special people. The team shared pictures of the group on Instagram with the caption:

"More than a game 🫶 We had a few additions to our circle this morning. Gretchen, Elizabeth, Jennifer, Keryl, Kelley, and Randi each shared their cancer journey with us. Their stories are powerful. They are powerful. Today is for you 💕."

Caitlin Clark reacted to the post in the comments, writing:

"💓💓"

Caitlin Clark's comment (Credit: instagram/@iowawbb)

For the pink game, players usually swap their names on the jerseys with someone close to them who has battled cancer. Last year, Clark had "Keough" written on her back. It was later reported to be a family friend, Dan Keough, who battled colorectal cancer in 2012.

Iowa honors Lucy Olsen's mother with the special move

For Hawkeyes senior Lucy Olsen, it was a special night, as she wore "MY MOM" on her jersey. The guard's mother, Kelley Olsen, is a two-time breast cancer survivor.

Kelley was affected for the first time in 2012 when her daughter was nine years old. Eighteen months later, she was affected on the other side. She was one of the survivors who joined the Hawkeyes for practice.

"I’m hoping to be able to keep it together," Kelley Olsen said. "It’s amazing and wonderful what Iowa does with their jerseys. It’s another level of Iowa Nice, that they thought to do this."

While Iowa lost 67-65 to UCLA, the night was still memorable for Lucy Olsen.

“It was super special,” she said. “Got to share that moment with her. I know she was excited.”

Olsen scored a team-high 17 points as the Hawkeyes recorded their second straight loss. Taylor McCabe (10) and Hannah Stuelke (11) were the only other players to score in double-digits. Stuelke also had eight rebounds.

Olsen and Co. are ninth in the Big Ten Conference with an 8-8 record (18-9 overall). The Hawkeyes have two more games, against Michigan and Wisconsin, before closing the regular season.