Caitlin Clark scores 38 against Maryland to pull closer to DI scoring record
Caitlin Clark added 38 points to her career total Saturday night to pull within 66 points of breaking the Division I women's scoring record. She added 12 assists and six rebounds for No. 3 Iowa in a 93-85 win at Maryland.
The senior is at 3,462 career points, trailing Kelsey Plum's record of 3,527 set in 2017 at Washington. Pete Maravich's men's record of 3,667 points is also within reach later in the season.
It took a swift 16 seconds of game time before Clark hit from behind the arc. She scored 23 points in the first half, shooting 9-of-16, including 4-of-8 on 3s, to lead Iowa to a 52-38 lead. Maryland, which led by eight early, climbed back to take a brief two-point lead late in the third and tied it again midway through the fourth. Clark's seventh 3 of the night pulled Iowa away.
It was her first win at Maryland in her career. She was 13-of-29 overall and hit seven-of-17 3s.
Fox Sports dedicated a camera to track Clark on offense and aired the feed live on TikTok. It was the first time Fox designated a camera to a single player and first time it streamed live content on the platform. Thousands watched and commented on the stream that featured her scoring stats in the top left corner.
Clark, who is averaging 32.1 points per game, could break the mark as early as Feb. 11 on the road against Nebraska (14-8, 6-5) if she slightly eclipses her average in both of the next two games. Clark hasn't scored fewer than 30 points since Jan. 10, including a 38-point showing against Nebraska last week.
Iowa (21-2, 10-1) hosts Penn State (16-6, 7-4) on Thursday in the teams' first meeting of the season. The home date against Michigan (15-8, 6-5 Big Ten) has long been circled as the most likely day she'll break the record.
She moved into second place on the all-time list on Wednesday with 35 points against Northwestern. By passing Ohio State guard Kelsey Mitchell's 3,402 points, she also became the Big Ten's all-time scoring leader.
Mitchell, an All-Star guard with the Indiana Fever, set her mark in 2018. The two could become teammates in a few months. The Fever have the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft and will likely take Clark if the Iowa star opts to enter the draft. She has one more year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 waiver.
Plum finished off her 3,527 points in 2017 as a senior at Washington. The two-time WNBA champion said this week she was happy to see Clark pursuing her mark.
"I'm actually very grateful to pass that baton. I'm very happy for her," Plum said on Friday at USA Basketball team camp. "If anything, make sure that we show her love outside of her performance. She'll break it. I'm excited for her."
