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IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Caitlin Clark wasted no time becoming the NCAA women’s career scoring leader Thursday night, taking less than three minutes to score the eight points she needed to break the record for Kelsey Plum.
The Iowa star who has brought unprecedented attention to women’s basketball broke the record with her signature shot: a 35 foot triple that didn’t touch anything but the back of the net.
And Clark didn’t give up from there. He finished with a career-high 49 points, tied a career-high with nine 3-pointers and had 13 assists in No. 4 Iowa’s 106-89 victory over Michigan.
Hawkeyes coach Lisa Bluder pulled Clark from the game with 1:46 left, shortly after she made her final 3, and she went to the bench to a cheer from the sold-out crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Clark’s big night put her at 3,569 points and 80 away from her next milestone, Lynette Woodard’s women’s college scoring record of 3,649.
Clark entered the game needing eight points to advance. Plum’s total is 3,527. The record was a 3-pointer off the dribble on the left wing near the Mediacom Court logo with 7:45 left in the first quarter.
“It’s great. It’s great to be in the same environment as a lot of really good players,” Clark said at halftime in a televised interview. “I’m lucky to do it because I have really good teammates and really good coaches and a great support system.” that surrounds me”.
Plum set the previous record as a senior at Washington in 2017. Woodard starred at Kansas from 1977 to 1981, an era when women’s sports were governed by the Association of Women’s Intercollegiate Athletics. Pearl Moore by Francis Marion She holds the overall women’s record with 4,061 points between 1975 and 1979.
Iowa has four regular-season games remaining, plus the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament. Barring injury, Clark, a senior who averages 32.1 points per game, will surely surpass Woodard. And he has the option to return for a fifth season of college basketball due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The crowd began chanting “One more year! One more year!” while Clark, who is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft, was conducting a postgame television interview.
Among those offering congratulations on social media was LSU star Angel Reese, who shared the spotlight with Clark in last season’s national championship won by the Tigers. The Big Ten Network published a congratulations compilation video that included Tom Brady, Peyton and Eli Manning.
Iowa gained the lead and Clark, guarded by Laila Phelia, drove to the basket and scored a shot from the right side. Clark hit a 3-pointer from the left wing on Iowa’s next possession. The Hawkeyes turned the ball over twice before Clark received a pass from Gabbie Marshall in transition. He stopped and shot from deep.
When the ball passed, the fans (many of them standing and holding up their phones to capture the moment) let out a huge roar.
Bluder called a timeout shortly after and Clark hugged his teammates and coaches during a brief celebration.
“Just grateful. Grateful to be surrounded by people and to be in a city that supports women’s basketball so much,” Clark said. “Being surrounded by my best friends and people who want to see me great and push me to be great every day.”
Clark and his dynamic play have captivated the nation for two seasons. Last year, she led the Hawkeyes to the NCAA title game and was named AP Player of the Year. More than just his pursuit of the record, his long 3-pointers and flashy passing have sparked interest in the women’s game. The sands have been exhausted for their games, home and away, and television ratings have never been higher.
Everything has been more than Clark imagined when the 6-foot guard from West Des Moines He stayed in-state, choosing Iowa over Notre Dame in November 2019.
“I dreamed of doing really big things, playing in front of big crowds, getting to the Final Four, maybe not at this level,” Clark said this week. “I think it’s very difficult to dream about that. “You can always exceed expectations, even your own, and I think that’s been one of the best parts.”
Although his basketball obligations and endorsement deals (State Farm ads, etc.) take up his time, he said he is the same person who showed up on campus four years ago. She still cleans her apartment, does laundry, plays video games, hangs out with friends, and does schoolwork.
Their record-breaking run might have come sooner, but it came again at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, where ticket resale prices for the game ranged from hundreds of dollars in thousands. As usual, fans arrived early outside the arena, many wearing black and gold No. 22 jerseys and holding signs in tribute.
Mya Anderson and her friend Ellie Steffensen, both 12, and their mothers made the six-hour drive from Canton, South Dakota, to see Clark break the record.
“I think he’s inspired a lot of people,” Mya said.
“Yeah, lots of little girls,” Ellie added.
Mya and Ellie play basketball and both said they try to do some of the things Clark does on the court, like shooting long 3-pointers.
“But I’m not as good as her,” Ellie said.
Kelly Jared of Manchester, Iowa, said she likes everything about Clark and hopes her impact on women’s soccer lasts.
“She’s taken it to a new level,” Jared said. “The aspirations and goals that current and future players have, she has set the bar very high in the sky. And it’s perfect, because they will work to get them. As for the fans, there is excitement for people who have never watched women’s basketball. My son is not a basketball fan, but he saw Caitlin last year and was sold. “He absolutely loves her.”
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