IOWA CITY, Iowa — Caitlin Clark broke the NCAA women’s career scoring record, making a 3-pointer from about 35 feet in the first quarter for No. 4 Iowa against Michigan on Thursday night.
Clark went into the game needing eight points to pass Kelsey Plum’s total of 3,527.
She wasted no time, making her first three shots — a layup and two 3s — and scoring Iowa’s first eight points. The record-breaker was a 3 off the dribble on the left wing near the Mediacom Court logo with 7:45 left in the first quarter.
“It’s cool. It’s cool to be in the same realm as a lot of really, really good players,” Clark said at halftime in a televised interview. “I’m lucky to do it because I have really good teammates and really good coaches and a great support system that surrounds me.”
Iowa won the tip and Clark, guarded by Laila Phelia, drove to the basket and banked in a shot from the right side. Clark hit a 3 from the left wing on Iowa’s next possession. The Hawkeyes turned the ball over twice before Clark took a pass from Gabbie Marshall in transition, stopped and and shot from deep on the left side.
When the ball went through, the fans — many of them standing and holding up phones to capture the moment — let loose a huge roar.
After Clark’s 3, Phelia missed a layup, for Michigan and Iowa’s Molly Davis rebounded. Iowa coach Lisa Bluder called timeout and a celebration ensued. Clark hugged teammates, Bluder and staffers, and the record was acknowledged while delighted fans continued to scream.
“Just grateful. Thankful to be surrounded by people and be in a city that supports women’s basketball so much,” Clark said. “Be surrounded by my best friends and people that want to see me be great and push me to be great every single day.”
Plum scored 57 points on the night she broke the scoring record in 2017 as a senior at Washington, and Clark played as if she had that on her mind. She had 23 points in the first quarter, making five…
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