Caitlin Clark moves into second on NCAA all-time scoring list, becomes Big Ten all-time leading scorer.
A glimpse into Clark’s historic day
Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan had a famous bit of logic: scoring 32 points a game was easy because it was just eight points a quarter. With just a little offensive aggression — only five shot attempts — Clark outdid that math by two points Wednesday.
Clark scored 10 in the first quarter with a pair of deep threes and four free throws to get her close to the Big Ten scoring record. After a brief rest to start the second quarter, she immediately scored on a layup. And with just under 5 minutes to go in the first half, she broke the Big Ten scoring record on a layup.
But with all the attention and build-up to her game Wednesday, there was no mention of it happening and no reaction at Welsh-Ryan Arena, despite it being mostly made up Iowa fans.
Iowa fans started waiting in line for general admission seats at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Nearly three hours before the 7 p.m. CT tipoff, the line to get in stretched down the street. Northwestern only has two sections with assigned seating for women’s games, with one being the upscale Wilson Club — so it created a bit of a logjam for a massive crowd. (Northwestern’s women’s team averages 1,671 fans a game.)
When Clark arrived to warm up, she was met with a nearly full house and fans were shrieking as she was announced with the starters and walked to the bench at the game’s end.
Clark carries with her the vibe of a barnstorming basketball hero, but she didn’t have a particularly memorable first half, despite scoring 18 points. She went 4-for-11 from the field, missing 5 of 7 3-point shots. She did go 8-for-8 from the line, though people weren’t lining up for the better part of a chilly day to watch her hit free throws. It wasn’t Clark’s best shooting performance, but she did a good job of getting her teammates involved early and leading Iowa to the big win.
“I didn’t shoot it very well from 3 tonight,” Clark said, “and I’ve been shooting the ball pretty well, so you’re due for one of those nights here and there. I was just a little short. So, you know, that happens. But I got to the free-throw line and hit all 10 of my free throws. That’s just kind of what you have to do.” — Jon Greenberg, Chicago sports columnist
This excerpt is from the
The Athletic.