IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Caitlin Clark wasted no time becoming the NCAA women's career scoring leader Thursday night, taking less than three minutes to score the eight points she needed to break Kelsey Plum's record.
The Iowa star who drew unprecedented attention in women's basketball broke the record with her signature shot — A 35-foot 3-pointer It hit nothing but the bottom of the net.
And Clark didn't let up. He finished with a career-high 49 points, tied his career best with nine 3-pointers and made no. 4 Had 13 assists in Iowa's 106-89 win.
Hawkeyes coach Lisa Bluder pulled Clark from the game with 1:46 left in the game, shortly after she made her final 3, before she went to the bench to cheers from the sellout crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Clark's big night put her at 3,569 points and within 80 of her next milestone, Lynette Woodard's major women's college record 3,649 points.
Clark went into the game needing eight points to pass Plums total 3,527. The record was broken when he hit a triple down the left wing near the Mediacom Court logo with 7:45 left in the first quarter.
“It's cool. It's nice to be in the same zone as a lot of good players,” Clarke said in a television interview at halftime. “I'm lucky to do it because I have good teammates and good coaches and a great support system around me.”
Plum established the previous record as a senior at Washington in 2017. From 1977-81, Woodard starred at Kansas, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women. Pearl Moore by Frances Marion The women's all-time record was 4,061 points from 1975-79.
Iowa has four regular season games, plus the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament. Barring injury, Clark, a senior averaging 32.1 points per game, is sure to pass Woodard. And he has the option of returning to college basketball for a fifth season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Crowd “One more year! One more year!” Clarke, projected as the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft, was doing a postgame television interview.
One of the well-wishers on social media LSU star Angel Reese, who caught the spotlight with Clark in last season's national championship game win by the Tigers. The Big Ten Network is a Greetings Collection Video That includes Tom Brady and Peyton and Eli Manning.
Iowa won the tip and Clark, guarded by Laila Felia, drove to the basket and hit a shot from the right side. On Iowa's next possession, Clark hit a 3 from the left wing. The Hawkeyes turned the ball over twice before Clark picked off a pass from Gabby Marshall in transition. Stopped and shot from deep.
When the ball went in, the fans — many of them standing and holding phones to capture the moment — let out a huge roar.
Bluder called a timeout moments later, and Clark hugged teammates and coaches during a brief celebration.
“Just thankful. Thankful to be surrounded by people and be in a city that's so supportive of women's basketball,” Clark said. “Being surrounded by my best friends and people who want to see me be the best and push me to be the best every day.”
Clarke and his dynamic play captivated the nation for two seasons. Last year, he led the Hawkeyes to the NCAA title game AP Player of the Year. His long 3-pointers and flashy passes have fueled interest, rather than searching for the record. Women's sports. Arenas are sold out His games, home and away and television ratings have never been higher.
It was all more than Clark could have imagined 6-foot guard from West Des Moines Stayed in-state and chose Iowa over Notre Dame in November 2019.
“I dreamed of doing big things, playing in front of big crowds, going to the Final Four, maybe not at this level,” Clarke said this week. “I think it's really hard to dream. You can always exceed expectations, even your own, and I think that's one of the best parts.
Although his basketball commitments and endorsement deals (such as State Farm commercials) demand his time, he said he's the same person who showed up on campus four years ago. She still cleans her apartment, does laundry, plays video games, hangs out with friends, and does schoolwork.
His run for the record may have come earlier, but it came back at Carver-Hockey Arena, where tickets for the game are resale prices. Up to hundreds of dollars By the thousands. As usual, fans showed up outside the arena early in the morning, many wearing the black-and-gold No. 22 jersey and carrying signs to pay their respects.
Mia Anderson and her friend, 12-year-old Ellie Stephenson, and their moms made the six-hour drive from Canton, South Dakota, to beat Clark's record.
“I think he's inspired a lot of people,” Mia said.
“Yeah, a lot of little girls,” Ellie added.
Mia and Ellie both play basketball and both said they try to do certain things on the court like shooting long 3's.
“But I'm not as good as her,” said Ellie.
Kelly Jarrett of Manchester, Iowa, said she loves everything about Clark and expects her impact on the women's game to last.
“She took it to a whole new level,” Jared said. “The aspirations and goals that current players and future players have, she's set that bar sky high. That's right, because they'll work to achieve them. As far as the fans, there's excitement for people who don't watch girls basketball. My son's not a basketball fan, but he watched Caitlin last year, He's sold. He absolutely loves her.”
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AP Women's College Basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll And https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
