Caitlin Clark’s chase for history: 10 games that made her a college hoops icon

Caitlin Clark is on the precipe of the crowning individual achievement of her already-iconic college basketball career. The Iowa guard surpassed 3,000 career points earlier this season and is now just 66 points away from surpassing Kelsey Plum’s mark of 3,527 to become the highest-scoring player in NCAA Divison I women’s college basketball history.

Clark is almost certain to break Plum’s record before the end of Iowa’s Big Ten regular-season schedule — and could even break it by the end of the week, when Iowa takes on Nebraska on Saturday (1 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app) after facing Penn State on Thursday. Clark needs to average at least 33 points in each of those next two games to break the record this weekend.

Regardless of when she does take the all-time scoring record for herself, Clark has already assembled a career that will rank among the legends of women’s college basketball. As she gets ready to make even more history, let’s take a look back at the top 10 scoring performances of Clark’s career. 

10. 41 points vs. Louisville (NCAA Tournament Elite Eight), March 26, 2023

This stretch was the moment Clark ascended into rare air among women’s college basketball stars. She had been great for Iowa all season long and was the driving force behind the Hawkeyes earning a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Against a ferocious Louisville defense in the Elite Eight, Clark not only scored 41 points on 11-of-19 shooting (including 8-of-14 from 3-point range), but also finished with 10 rebounds and 12 assists for a triple-double.

9. 41 points vs. South Carolina (NCAA Tournament Final Four), March 31, 2023

Five days later, against No. 1 overall seed and undefeated juggernaut South Carolina, Clark’s encore was just as spectacular. She shouldered virtually Iowa’s entire offense, scoring 41 points on 15-of-31 shooting. Iowa needed just about every single one of those points to fend off the Gamecocks in a 77-73 thriller to reach the national title game — and etch Clark as one of the faces of the current women’s college basketball era.

8. 41 points vs. Nebraska (Big Ten Tournament semifinal), March 5, 2022

It would be fitting if Clark breaks Plum’s scoring record on Saturday, because she has tormented the Cornhuskers at just about every opportunity, averaging 34.8 points per game against them in her career. The highlight of those matchups is a 41-point performance in the 2022 Big Ten Tournament, where Clark and the Hawkeyes shook off a sluggish first half to steamroll Nebraska before beating Indiana in the conference title game.

7. 42 points vs. Maryland, Feb. 2, 2023

You can also include Maryland among the teams Clark has tormented throughout her career. Not only did she drop 42 points on the Terrapins in this home game, but she just torched Maryland again this past Saturday in College Park to the tune of 38 points.

6. 43 points vs. Ohio State, Jan. 31, 2022

Spoiler alert: This is not the first time on this list that we’ll see a stellar Clark performance overshadowed by Ohio State handing Iowa a loss. Iowa led most of this game, but the Buckeyes rallied late to hand the Hawkeyes a loss. Clark went 16-for-28 from the field and 7-for-14 from 3-point range in this one.

5. 44 points vs. Virginia Tech (neutral site), Nov. 9, 2023

After her continued rise to prominence in the 2022-23 season, would Caitlin Clark be able to kick off the following campaign with a bang? She answered that question with a resounding yes in this early-season matchup, leading the No. 3 Hawkeyes past Georgia Amoore and the No. 8 Hokies with 44 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

4. 44 points vs. Evansville, Jan. 2, 2022

Sure, it was a non-conference game against an overmatched opponent. But this matchup from Clark’s sophomore season gave Iowa fans a glimpse of who she would become as she racked up 44 points, five rebounds and eight assists on 18-of-26 shooting from the field.

3. 45 points at Ohio State, Jan. 21, 2024

Clark’s Herculean performance was enough to prevent the No. 18 Buckeyes from pulling off the upset against the No. 2 Hawkeyes in overtime in front of a packed arena in Columbus. But what happened to Clark as she exited the floor quickly overshadowed the game itself, as she collided with a court-storming fan. Clark was shaken up but not injured by the incident, which sparked national dialogue about court- and field-storming in college athletics.

2. 45 points vs. NC State, Dec. 1, 2022

This proved to be another example of Clark turning heads with an impressive individual performance, but Iowa was unable to back her up in a 94-81 loss to the No. 12-ranked Wolfpack. Clark accounted for more than half of the Hawkeyes’ points against what was a very good NC State squad.

1. 46 points at Michigan, Feb. 6, 2022

It’s fitting that this game still stands as Clark’s single-game scoring mark, as her 46-point, 10-rebound double-double is what first put her on the map. Several NBA players and basketball fans weighed in on Clark’s staggering performance. If only they knew what a sign it was of what was to come for Iowa’s star guard.

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