Naismith, the reigning player of the year, entered the night with 3,520 points, seven shy of Plum. Clark wasted no time, making a right-handed layup on the Hawkeyes' first possession and a 3-pointer on their second possession to come within reach of the milestone. After two Iowa State turnovers, Clark pushed the ball up the court in transition, pulling it up from inside the center court line near the left sideline for a record-setting 3 just 2:15 into the game. He hit a point shot.
Clark returned to defense and celebrated by bending toward the court, and Iowa conceded the record by calling a timeout moments later. The Hawkeyes vacated their bench to let Starr mob during a dead ball, but Hawkeyes coach Lisa Bruder kissed Clark on the left cheek as he returned to the huddle to a raucous standing ovation. .
“You all knew I shot the logo three,” Clark said, referring to her honed ability to hit a 30-foot shot from the logo edge of center court. “I was able to step back a little to the left and miss. While warming up, the shot felt good and I knew it was going to be one of those nights for sure. I had some courage in my step. Teammates I’m so grateful that it has allowed me to be who I am.”
Clark, clearly fired up from an emotional night and a passionate crowd, made five 3-pointers in the first quarter and single-handedly defeated Michigan 23-22 during the period. Clark, who achieved the long-awaited milestone, dominated the game with 13 assists and five rebounds, helping fourth-ranked Iowa improve to 23-3. After finishing the night with his ninth 3-pointer in the final minute, Clark received a lengthy standing ovation and was praised by his family and teammates during the postgame celebration.
After the final buzzer sounded, the Hawkeyes wore T-shirts that read “You Destroy It” and held up a mock copy of the Des Moines Register with the headline “Unparalleled.” A series of congratulatory messages from friends and family played on the videoboard, and Bruder presented Clark with a basketball engraved with his record.
“That's great,” Bruder said. “She's doing it with her talent and confidence and passion. Isn't it fitting that she hit a logo three and broke the record? And then she just kept going and hit her 49.” You can also get [points]. It was absolutely perfect. ”
After the memorial video, the Hawkeyes lifted Clark off his feet and posed for a team photo. Streams of gold and silver fell onto the court as the crowd chanted “One more year!” It was a plea for Clark to return for a fifth season, made possible by the NCAA's COVID-19 eligibility rules.
“I don't know if you could really write a script any better,” Clark said. “I'm so grateful to be able to make it happen this way. I felt so grateful and loved that I started crying when I watched that video. The way these fans support women's basketball is so special.”
Clark entered Thursday averaging 28.2 points, breaking Plum's record in his 126th career game. Plumb played in 139 games for the University of Washington from 2013 to 2017, averaging 25.4 points.
Expectations for Clark's record-setting moment accelerated on January 31, when he passed Ohio State's Kelsey Mitchell (3,402 points) to become the Big Ten's all-time leading scorer. Clark looked poised to surpass Plum in Sunday's road loss to Nebraska, scoring 31 points in the third quarter, but was held scoreless in the fourth, marking a milestone moment in front of his home crowd. made.
Clark, a West Des Moines native, became known for his deep 3-point shooting and strong play during the magical 2023 NCAA Tournament run to the national finals, but it took 8 to break Plum's record. I came on Thursday because I needed a point. Plumb, currently a WNBA All-Star with the Las Vegas Aces, held the career scoring record since February 25, 2017, passing Missouri State's Jackie Stiles, who scored 3,393 points in 2001. .
“I'm so happy for her,” Plumb said. “She can do it. I think it's really cool to see her do it her way and bring her attention to her game.”
Ticket prices for Thursday's sold-out game soared on secondary sites, with admission to the 15,500-seat arena exceeding $250. History is virtually guaranteed, as Clark has scored at least 21 points in every game this season. Indeed, there was an air of inevitability about the night, considering Clark was the nation's leading scorer as a freshman and sophomore and is on track to win the nation's leading scorer for the third time this season. The 22-year-old guard was given the keys to Iowa's fast-paced offense as a freshman, never missed a game due to injury, and captained a top-five offense in each of his four seasons.
Despite near-freezing temperatures and a forecast for storms, fans lined up outside Carver-Hawkeye Arena for more than two hours before tipoff, and about a dozen television cameras took live shots around the arena. . Clark's No. 22 jersey was everywhere, worn by fans and sold at small retail stores, and fans were greeted by a makeshift shrine in his honor on the concourse.
Caitlin Clark sets new NCAA women's basketball scoring record
A giant mascot statue wearing Clark's jersey sat next to a table with a basketball and the Naismith Trophy commemorating Clark's 3,000 career points and school scoring record. One boy stood courtside during pregame warmups holding a sign that read, “Caitlin Clark: Will you be my Valentine?” Other signs praising Clark as “THE GOAT” and “the new leading scorer” also dotted the lower bowl.
Clark has a chance to break Pete Maravich's record of 3,667 points and win the NCAA's all-time scoring record. Maravich, a Hall of Fame guard, was prohibited from playing on the varsity as a freshman by NCAA rules at the time, so from 1967 he distinguished himself in his third season at LSU in 1970. It appeared.
While Clark holds the NCAA women's record, Kansas State's Lynette Woodard set the major school record with 3,649 points from 1977 to 1981, when the Women's Intercollegiate Athletics Association controlled women's college basketball. obtained. Pearl Moore, who played at Francis Marion University in South Carolina, set the all-time scoring record for women's college basketball with 4,061 points from 1975 to 1979.
Clark's career-best 32.8 points per game this season is more than four points higher than his closest rival, University of Southern California freshman JuJu Watkins. Clark also scored 191 points in six games last year, leading Iowa State to the national finals and setting the NCAA Tournament scoring record, beating Texas Tech's Sheryl Swoopes, who scored 177 points in five games in 1993.
Recognizing his impressive performance, Clark recalled how he started his college career in an empty arena due to the pandemic, and how he never imagined as a child that he would end up at the top of the NCAA record books. He said he couldn't do it either.
When asked what he would say or do if he could communicate with his younger self, Clark replied, “I would pinch myself to wake up from my dream.” “I'm proud to have worked on this job. Nothing was given to me.”
