NCAA women’s hoops superstar Caitlin Clark smashes the tournament's all-time scoring record during the Iowa vs. Michigan game.
Caitlin Clark has cemented her name in women’s college hoops.
The University of Iowa star guard has become the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball, surpassing Kelsey Plum's 3,527 career points.
Clark entered into Iowa’s matchup against Michigan with 3,520 points, needing only eight to claim the No. 1 spot racked up by Plum from 2013 to 2017.
Just two minutes and 12 seconds into the game, she was able to claim the record after a layup from the opening tip, a 3-pointer from the left corner, and finally, a big bucket all the way from the logo.
After breaking the record, Clark went 8-of-10 from the field, 5-of-7 from beyond the arc in the first quarter, scoring 23 points. This marked the most points she has tallied in any first quarter of her Iowa career.
Clark could reach even more scoring milestones in her senior season. The AIAW large-school women's record -- set just before the NCAA era by Kansas' Lynette Woodard from 1977 to 1981 -- is 3,649 points. The NCAA men's record is 3,667 by LSU's Pete Maravich from 1967 to 1970, before freshman eligibility in college basketball.
Clark is already the first Division I women's player to reach 3,000 points and 1,000 assists.
However, the records and milestones are just part of Clark's story. She is a generational talent who is growing her sport's popularity and has been a key reason as to why the NCAA women’s division has been filling up arenas and garnering record-breaking television viewership.
Currently, she is averaging 32.1 points, seven rebounds, and 8.3 assist per game. Her 47.3 FG percentage on an average 22 attempts per game is a career-high, and she’s hitting 39.3% from the rainbow area.
Nike’s tribute to Clark is just perfect:
“You break it, you own it.”