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Iowa's Caitlin Clark celebrated Sunday for breaking Pete Maravich's NCAA all-time scoring record.
CNN
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Iowa Hawkeyes superstar guard Caitlin Clark passed Hall of Famer “Pistol” Pete Maravich as NCAA Division I men's basketball leader with Sunday's win over the Ohio State Buckeyes. She became the women's all-time leading scorer.
Clark entered the game needing 18 points to pass Maravich and become the all-time leading scorer with 3,667 points. She set her record by making two free throws in the final seconds of the first half. In a brief halftime interview, she said she wasn't thinking about the record at the time.
“It wasn't, but when it was announced and everyone screamed, that's when I realized,” she said.
Clark finished the game with 35 points, nine assists, and six rebounds, giving his career total of 3,685 points as No. 6 Iowa defeated No. 2 Ohio State 93-83.
After the match, she said she was still “taking it all in.”
“We are really grateful to everyone who has stood by us and supported us and supported us over the past four years,” she said. “It probably won't shock me until a little bit later, but I'm going to enjoy it with my family and my teammates and I'm really grateful to be here.”
Known for her sharp shooting ability with deep, deft playmaking, the 22-year-old senior has become one of the biggest names in college sports of all time, recently setting the all-time scoring record in NCAA women's basketball. Her first-half performance against Ohio State on Sunday was representative of her skill set, as she made 15 shots, including 10 from deep, and had six assists as defenders rushed to stop them. added.
Clark gained national attention last year with his incredible play during March Madness, leading Iowa to the national championship game, the first title game appearance in school history. There, Iowa lost to the LSU Tigers in a game that featured a notable altercation between Clark and LSU forward Angel Reese.
Since then, Clark has grown into a dominant force in all of college basketball. Meanwhile, her popularity off the court knows no bounds.
Clark's University of Iowa jerseys and shirts are the best-selling college athlete editions since online retailer Fanatics began selling college sports apparel in 2022, the website told CNN. She also has deals with Gatorade, Nike, State Farm, and more.
Her record-breaking performance on Sunday drew praise. lebron james, holds the NBA scoring record. CNN sports analyst Christine Brennan said Clark's accomplishment was a landmark moment in the history of women's sports and changed the way people viewed basketball.
“I think Caitlin has made a lot of people look at this American sport in a different way,” she said.
The NCAA Division I basketball career point record of 3,667 was set in 1970 by Hall of Famer “Pistol Pete” Maravich, known for his creative playmaking, outside shooting, and mop-top hair. At LSU, at a time when there was no 3-point line, no shot clock, and no freshmen were allowed to play, Maravich scored over 44 points on 38 attempts per game over three seasons. He died in 1988 at the age of 40.
Her son Jason Maravich told Yahoo Sports last week that the record was “comparing apples to oranges,” but added: “I think my dad was a huge fan of hers.”
Last month, Clark surpassed Kelsey Plumb of the University of Washington to become the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women's basketball, and passed Lynette Woodard, who played under her predecessor at Kansas, as the all-time leading scorer in major women's basketball history. . To the NCAA.
Cliff Jett/AP
Iowa State guard Caitlin Clark broke the scoring record with two free throws in the final minutes of the first half.
A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Clark's 2020 commitment to her alma mater, State University, was a great accomplishment for herself, the Hawkeyes, and women's basketball in general.
Clark was handed the reins of the Iowa offense almost immediately and averaged nearly 27 points as a freshman. In her third season with the team, the University of Iowa advanced to its first NCAA Women's Basketball National Championship Game, and Clark continued to be a prolific scorer while adding seven rebounds and over 8.6 assists per game.
One of the most impressive things about Clark's career is how much she improves every year. This season, she is averaging just over 32 points, the most of her career, and also has a solid shooting percentage (46.9%), including her nearly 3-point shooting percentage. Contains 40%.
And as she continues to grow, attention to her game will only increase.
“I started the year during the pandemic, and I’m playing in front of nothing but my family and cardboard cutouts,” she told TNT Sports in October 2023. “And now you're a senior and you're playing in front of 15,000 people.'' Guys, it's special and it's historic.
“Nothing has really been done in women’s basketball before,” she said.
Like the NBA's Stephen Curry or the WNBA's Sabrina Ionescu, Clark's ability to hit defense-busting 3-pointers from downtown has made her both an elite talent and a social media favorite.
Clark announced last week that he will bypass his final year of eligibility and enter the WNBA Draft at the end of this season. She will play for the Indiana Fever after her team wins the lottery for the No. 1 overall pick.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly listed scoring records. Caitlin Clark became NCAA Division I's all-time leading scorer in men's and women's basketball overall.
