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With all the excitement surrounding March Madness, Caitlin Clark set a new women’s college basketball record yesterday. Iowa Hawkeyes’ senior sensation Caitlin Clark closed out the final game of her home career yesterday when the Hawkeyes triumphed over West Virginia 64-54, punching their ticket for the Sweet 16.
Clark closed out her final game of her home career yesterday in an emotional finale as she was determined to beat West Virginia following a comment from the Mountaineers’ head coach’s comment on Selection Sunday.
At West Virginia’s Selection Sunday watch party, head coach Mark Kellogg cheered on his team and stated, “Let’s send Caitlin Clark packing.” This viral comment sparked a fire inside Clark as she clinched 32 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in last night’s game, proving to Kellogg that his team cannot easily get rid of her.
Caitlin Clark dropped 32 and eliminated West Virginia after their HC Mark Kellogg said this earlier in the week 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/xKtRxK7Ghz
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 26, 2024
Caitlin Clark’s Records
The Hawkeyes sensation scored half her team’s points as they clinched an emotional victory over the Mountaineers. In doing so, she also set a new record for women’s Division I basketball to add to her profound list of NCAA records.
As Clark and her fellow seniors bid farewell to Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Clark’s 32 points in yesterday’s game helped her break the NCAA Division I single-season women’s scoring record as she amassed 1,113 points.
Caitlin Clark breaks another record! 👏#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/H7S5uymZ9u
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) March 26, 2024
The 22-year-old broke former Washington Huskies player Kelsey Plum’s single-season scoring record of 1,109 points in the 2016-2017 season. This feat comes after Clark broke a 54-year-old NCAA Division 1 men’s and women’s record on March 3, 2024.
After Iowa’s impressive 93-83 win over No. 2 Ohio State, the Hawkeyes’ guard broke Pete Maravich’s all-time leading scoring record of 3,667 points, set in 1970.
Since then, no men’s or women’s NCAA Division I basketball player has been able to break Maravich’s record until Clark surpassed the former LSU player when she amassed 3,685 points amidst 130 collegiate games.
The 22-year-old’s all-time leading scorer record came just four days after she broke the NCAA Division I women’s scoring record previously held by Lynette Woodard, who amassed 3,649 points by the end of her career in 1981.
Last Year’s March Madness Tournament
As Clark added another feat to her record-breaking list yesterday, No. 1 Iowa is set to compete against No. 5 Colorado in the Sweet 16 round of the March Madness tournament. The Hawkeyes are no strangers to this match, as the two teams met in the Sweet 16 last year.
In the 2023 NCAA March Madness Sweet 16 match, No. 2 Iowa, at the time, beat No. 6 Colorado 87-77. Iowa then punched their ticket all the way to the Championship Game, where they fell 102-85 to the LSU Tigers.
If Caitlin Clark can reenact last year’s Sweet 16 match, her team will be one step closer to the championship title.
Caitlin Clark’s Next Step
This year’s March Madness tournament is bittersweet for Clark as she will embark on the next stage of her basketball career soon.
On Thursday, February 29, 2024, the 22-year-old announced that she is declaring for the 2024 WNBA Draft. Clark is widely anticipated to get drafted by the Indiana Fever as the Iowa sensation is projected to be the No. 1 overall draft pick.
Since the Iowa guard’s collegiate career was interrupted by COVID-19, she was awarded a fifth year of eligibility but decided to forgo that option. If Clark can punch her team’s tickets to the Championship Game and clinch the title, it will be a great way to bid farewell to her record-breaking collegiate career as she embarks on her professional career.
