Gabbie Marshall and Co. mark their presence to support former Iowa star Kate Martin during matchup against Lynx: "The girlies"

Las Vegas Aces rookie Kate Martin has taken to the WNBA like a duck to water after making the defending champion's final roster. She helped to lead her team to a comprehensive 80-66 win against the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday in front of a host of her former Iowa Hawkeyes teammates.

Martin registered nine points on 3-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc, three rebounds and two assists.

After the game, she posed for pictures with her former Iowa teammates including Gabbie Marshall, Jada Gyamfi and 2023 captain Monika Czinano, who have shown incredible support for their drafted teammates.

Marshall posted a picture of the Iowa alumni on her Instagram stories with the caption:

"The girlies," she wrote.

Instagram: @gabbie.marshall

Kate Martin outshines former teammate Caitlin Clark

Las Vegas Aces rookie Kate Martin and Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark had a special relationship at Iowa, leading the program to its most successful era during their four years there.

Martin was used to being Caitlin Clark's sidekick as Clark broke record after record and became the face of women's college basketball and a certified national celebrity.

Kate Martin attended the WNBA draft ceremony in April to support Clark before being drafted No. 18 by the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces, and a few weeks later she was facing Clark.

During the Aces' 99-80 win over Indiana, Martin outshone her more illustrious former teammate registering 12 points and seven rebounds in just 22 minutes while Clark registered eight points, five rebounds and seven assists.

Their former Hawkeyes coach Lisa Bluder and current Iowa coach Jan Jensen, who was the associate head coach before Bluder retired, were present to watch the titanic clash between their former players.

During her postgame news conference, Martin described the feeling of playing one of her greatest friends.

"It was weird," Martin said. "I'm not going to lie. Just looking out on the court and seeing her in a different jersey than me, it was obviously different. But it's really fun. We're both living out our dreams right now, and we both get to compete at the highest level. So we're both really grateful for that opportunity."

The Kate Martin versus Caitlin Clark chapter is only just beginning with the rookies set to meet three more times, starting on July 2, during the regular season of their nascent WNBA careers.