Having amassed 3,520 career points, Caitlin Clark of Iowa is just eight points shy of claiming the all-time top spot in Division I women’s college basketball scoring record on Thursday night.
The fourth-ranked Hawkeyes (22-3, 11-2 Big Ten) will be hosting Michigan in Iowa City, Iowa, as Clark eyes this milestone.
Despite scoring 31 points in the first three quarters, Clark was unable to score in the final quarter during Iowa’s recent 82-79 loss to Nebraska. Now, the stage is set for Clark to surpass Kelsey Plum‘s record of 3,527 career points at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Clark, a senior aged 22, who has played 14 games less than Plum, appears more concerned with helping her team secure a victory rather than focusing on breaking records.
“You can’t get too caught up in one loss,” Clark said. “All everybody needs right now is a boost of confidence, and I know I can give it to them.”
In their losses this season, Iowa has let slip leads of multiple possessions against opponents like Kansas State, Ohio State, and Nebraska.
“I think the biggest focus right now is just finding ways to grow, finding ways to get better — another case of us blowing another lead. That’s something that has to stop,” Clark said. “We could have executed a lot better.”
Regarding the impending scoring record, she remarked: “When it happens, it happens. It’s really not going to affect my life that much.”
As Clark pursues this record, she has garnered praise from prominent NBA stars and revered coaches.
“You can’t help but watch where she’s shooting from, the range, the confidence, the flare,” Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry told The Associated Press. “She’s a performer.”
Muffet McGraw, former coach of Notre Dame and two-time national champion, added: “I don’t understand why more teams don’t double her. Who do you think’s going to take the shot?”
Most probably, the record will indeed fall when Michigan (16-9, 7-6) visits. Clark has only once finished a game with single-digit points in her career, which was during her freshman year. She currently boasts an average of 32.1 points per game this season – the highest in the nation.
Clark holds a 3-1 record against the Wolverines and scores an average of 34.7 points per matchup against them.
Michigan recently triumphed over Rutgers with Cameron Williams scoring 23 points in an 86-58 victory. Laila Phelia maintains an average of 16.1 points per game for Michigan this season.
Coach Kim Barnes-Arico of the Wolverines understands the challenge of containing Clark’s offensive prowess.
“She’s a generational talent,” Barnes-Arico told CBS Sports. “Just the things that she’s able to do on the basketball court are incredible, and it doesn’t matter what defense you try to throw at her or what different look you try to give her, she still figures out a way to score.”
A victory against Iowa would greatly benefit Michigan, especially given ESPN’s latest bracketology projections, listing the Wolverines on the bubble as one of the final four teams to make it to the NCAA Tournament field.
