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When it comes to Caitlin Clark, it seems like there’s always a new story on the horizon. On Wednesday, she had a chance to set the Big Ten’s all-time scoring record and move up the NCAA’s all-time scoring list.
Clark, who entered Iowa’s game against Northwestern fourth on the NCAA’s all-time scoring list with 3,389 career points, needed five points to pass Jackie Stiles (Missouri State). Clark surpassed that mark before the first quarter ended and passed Kelsey Mitchell (Ohio State) for second place a frame later, scoring her 3,403rd career point. That mark also sets the Big Ten’s all-time scoring record.
Clark is chasing Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum for the all-time women’s scoring record (3,527 points). Pete Maravich, who played at LSU from the 1967-68 to 1969-70 seasons, holds the all-time men’s and women’s basketball record with 3,667 career points.
“I think the best thing is the names I get to be around,” Clark said after the game. “Those are people I grew up watching, especially Brittney Griner, Kelsey Mitchell, they’re really great players, people who still play our game at the highest level, people you watch night in and night out. So it’s special for me to be in the same area as them and obviously I have a lot of really good teammates that have allowed me to do my thing.”
GO DEEPER
When will Caitlin Clark break the all-time women’s college basketball scoring record?
With a planned sellout of 7,039 for Wednesday’s game, this is by far the largest crowd Clark has played in front of at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The first time Clark played at Northwestern Stadium on Jan. 9, 2021, there were no fans in the stands due to the COVID-19 pandemic as the Wildcats won 77-67. The second time, on January 28, 2022, an attendance of just 1,578 was announced for Iowa’s 72-67 overtime victory.
“Obviously, I started in COVID-19, where it’s just family, and now every game I play, it’s sold out,” Clark said. “So it’s never something you take for granted. I think it’s a little crazy that people shout my name so much. It’s not something you really get used to.
“This (game) was definitely marked on my calendar because I know the amount of Iowa fans in the Chicago area. So I was really excited to come here, I love this gym and Coach Joe (McKeown). I have a lot of respect for him. I think it’s amazing. It’s incredible for women’s basketball. And we’ve had a lot of really good battles in this field.”
Throughout her career at Iowa, Clark became the first Division I basketball player in NCAA history with a 40-point triple-double, the first player with 3,000 points, 750 rebounds and 750 assists, and He has scored more 30-point games than any player in the last 25 years.
Clark is averaging a career-high 32 points per game this season, adding 7.1 rebounds and 7.6 assists. Against Northwestern, Clark scored 35 points and 10 assists en route to his 54th career double-double. He ended up making 11 of 22 shots, missing 9 of 12 three-pointers, but was 10 of 10 from the line. Clark was pulled with 4:25 left in the game and received a standing ovation.
No. 3 Iowa defeated Northwestern 110-74 to improve to 20-2 overall and 9-1 in conference.
A look at Clark’s historic day
Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan had a famous logic: scoring 32 points per game was easy because it was only eight points per quarter. With just a little bit of offensive aggression (just five shot attempts), Clark beat that math by two points on Wednesday.
Clark scored 10 in the first quarter with a pair of deep 3-pointers and four free throws to bring her closer to the Big Ten scoring record. After a brief break to start the second quarter, she immediately scored with a layup. And with just under 5 minutes left in the first half, she broke the Big Ten scoring record with a layup.
But with all the attention and preparation for their game on Wednesday, there was no mention of this happening and no reaction in Welsh-Ryan Arena, even though it was mostly made up of Iowa fans.
Iowa fans began lining up for general admission seats at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Nearly three hours before the 7 pm CT start, the line to get in stretched down the street. Northwestern only has two assigned seating sections for women’s games, one of which is the exclusive Wilson Club, so it created a bit of a logjam for a massive crowd. (Northwestern’s women’s team averages 1,671 fans per game.)
When Clark arrived to warm up, she found a nearly full stadium and fans screaming as she was announced with the starters and walked to the sideline at the end of the game.
Clark carries the vibe of a swashbuckling basketball hero, but he didn’t have a particularly memorable first half, despite scoring 18 points. He made 4 of 11 field goals and missed 5 of 7 three-point shots. She was 8-for-8 from the line, although people didn’t line up for most of a cold day to watch her make free throws. It wasn’t Clark’s best shooting performance, but she did a good job of getting her teammates involved early and leading Iowa to the big win.
“I didn’t throw very well from 3 tonight,” Clark said, “and I’ve been throwing the ball pretty well, so you’re in for one of those nights here and there. I got a little low. So, you know, that happens. But I got to the free throw line and made all 10 of my free throws. “That’s what you have to do.” — Jon Greenberg, Chicago sports columnist
Required reading
(Photo: Jim Dedmon / USA Today)