Clark Nears Scoring Record as Iowa Falls

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark is eight points away from the NCAA women’s basketball scoring record after a 31-point performance on Sunday in an 82-79 loss at Nebraska. She looks to pass former Washington star Kelsey Plum‘s 3,527 career points.

A Historic Career

Hailing from West Des Moines, Iowa, high school All-American and fourth-ranked recruit Clark decided to stay home and play for Iowa out of high school. Clark is the highest-ranked recruit to commit to Iowa in the history of the women’s basketball program.

Once on campus, Clark hit the ground running. As a freshman during the 2020-2021 season, Clark led the NCAA in scoring with 26.6 points per game and was a second-team AP All-American. She became the first freshman to win the Dawn Staley Award, which recognizes the best Division I guard, and was named co-freshman-of-the-year with UConn’s Paige Bueckers.

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Clark’s career is littered with accolades. She became the first three-time Dawn Staley Award winner with her impressive sophomore and junior campaigns. During the 2021-2022 season, she became the first player to lead Division I women’s basketball in both points and assists. Through her first three years, Clark’s been either a first- or second-team All-American each season and was named National player of the Year by every major award organization in 2023.

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NCAA Tournament Run

Her performance during the 2023 NCAA tournament solidified her stardom.

In the Elite Eight, Clark recorded a 41-point triple-double in a 97-83 win over Louisville. She was the first collegiate men’s or women’s basketball player to accomplish that feat. In the Final Four, she continued her dominance, scoring 41 again as Iowa upset defending champion South Carolina.

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Iowa’s run came to an end in the national championship. Nonetheless, Clark’s 30 points in the final broke the men’s and women’s scoring record for a single tournament with 191 points.

The Record Chase

Now, in Clark’s senior season, she chases after the women’s basketball scoring record.

Clark didn’t score in the fourth quarter of the loss on Sunday, keeping her eight points from the record. Even with the loss, she doesn’t think the looming milestone is affecting her play.

“It’s not been a distraction at all…I’m just going to keep going about my business.”

Iowa will next face Michigan at home on Thursday night and is expecting a sold-out crowd. Clark hasn’t recorded a game with fewer than 21 points this season and has only one game in her career in which she was held to a single-digit scoring total.