In a historic moment at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Caitlin Clark etched her name in basketball history, surpassing Pete Maravich to become the all-time leading scorer in Division I basketball — men’s or women’s.
Clark, the guard from Iowa, achieved this feat during her last regular-season home game. Facing off against Ohio State, Clark needed 18 points to eclipse Maravich’s record—which she achieved in the first half of the game. She eventually tallied 35 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds in a 93-83 victory over the Buckeyes.
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The significance of this achievement wasn’t lost on Clark, who reflected on the journey that led her to this moment.
“It’s really crazy to think about,” Clark said in a statement. “Honestly, if you would have told me that before my college career started, I would’ve laughed in your face and been like, ‘No, you’re insane.'”
Clark’s record-breaking moment came as she sank two free throws with just 0.3 seconds remaining in the first half, giving Iowa a vital lead heading into halftime.
Throughout her career at Iowa, Clark has rewritten the record books – from reaching the 3,000-point mark against Iowa State to becoming the first Division I women’s player to achieve both 3,000 points and 1,000 assists. She also surpassed Washington’s Kelsey Plum for the NCAA women’s scoring record and later eclipsed Kansas’ Lynette Woodard for the major college women’s scoring record.
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“The biggest thing is I’ve just had fun, and I’ve loved every single second I’ve been here,” Clark said. “Just to be in the same realm with all these players who are so successful — whether it’s Pete or Kelsey Plum or Lynette Woodard — hopefully somebody comes after me and breaks my records, and I can be there supporting them. That’s what makes the game of basketball so fun. But yeah, it definitely will hit me at some point.”
As the overwhelming favorite for national player of the year honors and projected top pick in the WNBA draft, Clark decided to forgo a fifth college season to enter the WNBA draft.
