On Sunday, March 3rd during a game against Ohio State University, Caitlin Clark became the highest-scoring player in the NCAA for Division 1 basketball – men and women. During senior night in the Carver-Hawkeye arena, Clark beat Pete “Pistol Pete” Maravich’s record that was held for more than 50 years at 3,667 points. She had a 35-point game, setting the current record at 3,685.
She started the game needing 18 points to beat the record, and by halftime, she broke it after shooting 2 free throws. Iowa beat the Buckeyes 93-83, securing their No. 2 seed, and marking a historical night in college basketball.
While at the free throw line, she wasn’t thinking about the record, “But then when they announced it and everybody screamed, that’s when I knew. Pretty cool,” Clark said. She also said, “Just to be in the same realm of all these players who have been so successful, whether it’s Pete or Kelsey Plum or Lynette Woodard — all these people have just given so much to the game,” Clark said. “Hopefully somebody comes after me and breaks my records and I can be there supporting them.”
Just over two weeks before she set the record, on February 15th, Clark became the highest-scoring NCAA player for women’s Division 1 basketball. She passed Kelsey Plum’s previous record of 3,527 points. Not only did Clark break the scoring record, she also scored a career-high 49 points that night. In a following game against Minnesota, she beat Lynette Woodard’s record of 3,650, securing her spot at the top of all-time career points among women to play for major colleges.
Woodard later said, “Caitlin is leading the way. As she was chipping away I said, ‘Records are made to be broken, but also, they’re made to be honored,’” Woodard said. “And because of her, my records are being honored.”
Because of COVID-19, Clark has another year of eligibility left before entering the draft, but on February 29th, she declared she’d be entering the 2024 WNBA Draft. In a post on X, she wrote, “While this season is far from over and we have a lot more goals to achieve, it will be my last one at Iowa.” She is the prospective top pick for Indiana Fever, who has the No.1 draft pick.
When she was honored on senior night, she went on to say, “This is special. I don’t know if you guys realize what you’re doing for women’s basketball and women’s sports in general, but you’re changing it.”
Caitlin Clark is a powerhouse in women’s basketball, and she’s changing the game. Fans are looking forward to the draft and seeing her professional debut. She’s set numerous records, and while her time at Iowa is coming to a close, her legacy will live on forever in college basketball.
