Caitlin Clark became the NCAA women’s lifetime scoring leader in less than three minutes on Thursday night, breaking Kelsey Plum’s mark with eight points.
The Iowa star, who has brought unprecedented attention to women’s basketball, broke the record with her hallmark shot, a 35-foot three-pointer that hit just the bottom of the net.
Clark didn’t give up from there. She scored 49 points, equaled her career high with nine three-pointers, and had 13 assists in Iowa’s 106-89 victory over Michigan.
Hawkeyes coach Lisa Bluder pulled Clark from the game with 1:46 remaining, just after she made her final three, and she went to the bench to applause from the sellout crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
“I don’t know if you could script it any better,” Clark went on to say. “Just to do it this way, I’m glad and thankful to be surrounded by so many individuals who have served as the foundation for all I’ve done since I was a little child. “You all knew I’d shoot the logo three times for the record.”
Clark’s big game pushed her to 3,569 points, only 80 shy of Lynette Woodard’s major women’s collegiate scoring record of 3,649.
With 7:45 remaining in the first quarter, the record was broken with a three-pointer off the dribble on the left wing near the Mediacom Court logo.
“Warming up, my shot just felt good, so I knew it was going to be kind of one of those nights,” she went on to say. “I played with a little more pep in my step.”
Clark achieved the mark in 126 games, 13 less than Plum, who scored 3,527 points across four seasons at Washington from 2014 to 2017. Woodard starred at Kansas from 1977 to 1981, when women’s athletics were supervised by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). Pearl Moore of Francis Marion owns the overall women’s record, having scored 4,061 points between 1975 and 1979.
Iowa has four regular-season games remaining, in addition to the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. Barring injury, Clark, a senior averaging 32.1 points per game, is very certain to overtake Woodard. She also has the possibility of returning for a fifth season of college basketball because to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fans began screaming “One more year! One more year!” when Clark, the expected first overall choice in the WNBA draft, gave a postgame television interview.
“I paid them,” Bluder said, eliciting laughter. “I thought it was a pretty good chant.”
Louisiana State standout Angel Reese, who appeared with Clark in the Tigers’ national championship game last season, was among many who congratulated him on social media. The Big Ten Network released a congratulations compilation video featuring Tom Brady, Peyton, and Eli Manning.
Iowa won the tip, and Clark, defended by Laila Phelia, drove to the hoop and banked a shot from the right side. Clark nailed a three from the left wing on Iowa’s following possession. The Hawkeyes turned the ball over twice before Clark caught a pass from Gabbie Marshall in transition, hesitated, and shot from deep.
When the ball went through, the crowd let out a massive yell, with many standing and holding up phones to photograph the event.
“It was absolutely perfect,” Bluder went on to say, “for her to go over and reach this record with a logo three.”
Bluder called a timeout immediately after, and Clark embraced teammates and coaches during a brief celebration.
“That was never really my goal, to get it done really fast,” said Clark. “I nailed my first several shots, and I was able to get another one up quickly. It was wonderful to have it done quickly so we could focus on winning the basketball game.”
Clark, who scored 40 or more points for the 12th time, had 23 in the first quarter and went on to have one of her greatest performances. She scored or assisted on 79 points, the most by a Division I women’s player in at least 25 years, according to OptaSTATS.
Clark’s explosive performance has captivated the country for two seasons. Last year, she led the Hawkeyes to the NCAA championship game and was voted AP Player of the Year. More than simply her chase of the record, her deep three-point shots and fancy passes have sparked interest in the women’s game. Arenas have sold out for her home and away games, and television ratings have never been higher.
It’s been more than Clark expected when the 6-foot guard from West Des Moines chose Iowa over Notre Dame in November 2019.
Despite the fact that her basketball commitments and endorsement arrangements (State Farm advertising, for example) have taken up time, she maintains that she is the same person who first arrived on college four years ago. She still cleans her flat, does laundry, plays video games, socializes with friends, and studies.
Her journey to the record may have come earlier, but it ended at Carver-Hawkeye, where ticket resale prices for the game ranged from hundreds to thousands of dollars. As usual, supporters arrived early outside the arena, many wearing black-and-gold No. 22 jerseys and holding tribute placards.
Mya Anderson, her friend Ellie Steffensen, both 12, and their mothers drove six hours from Canton, South Dakota, to witness Clark break the record.
“I think she’s inspired a lot of people,” added Mya.
“Yeah, a lot of little girls,” Ellie explained.
Mya and Ellie both play basketball and have admitted to trying to emulate some of Clark’s moves on the court, such as shooting deep threes.
“But I’m not as good as her,” Ellie admitted.
Kelly Jared of Manchester, Iowa, said she enjoys everything about Clark and believes her effect on the women’s game will last.
“She’s taken it to a new level,” Jared explained. “She has set a high standard for present and future athletes’ hopes and aims. It’s excellent since they’ll work hard to achieve their goals.
“There is enthusiasm among those who have never seen women’s basketball. My kid is not a basketball enthusiast, but after seeing Caitlin last year, he was convinced. “He absolutely adores her.”
