Caitlin Clark passes Steph Curry for most 3s in a season as Iowa rips Penn State

Story by

Story by
Caitlin Clark passes Steph Curry for most 3s in a season as Iowa rips Penn State

Nancy Armour and Heather Tucker, USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports

Sat, Mar 9, 2024 ·

19 min read

About Our Ads

Another day, another record for Caitlin Clark .

Clark broke Steph Curry's single-season record for 3-pointers in Iowa's 95-62 victory over Penn State on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament. She now has 164 for the year, two more than Curry made in his sophomore season at Davidson.

This latest mark comes one game after Clark passed Pete Maravich to become the all-time leading scorer in college basketball .

"I've lost track. She breaks a new record every single night so I'm losing track of them," Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said, with a smile.

It looked for much of the game as if Curry would keep his record for another day. Clark missed her first 11 shots from long range, finally connecting with 8:39 left in the fourth quarter. She lifted her arms in triumph and stuck out her tongue as she ran back down the court, and her teammates celebrated on the sideline.

Clark made another later in the quarter. She finished with a game-high 24 points and also had 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Iowa, the second seed in the tournament, plays Michigan in the semifinals Saturday.

Impressive as Clark's continuous assault on the record books is, what should really scare every other team with designs on the national title is how the rest of the Hawkeyes stepped up on what was an off night for their leader.

Iowa had four other players in double figures, including a career-high 18 from Sydney Affolter. The Hawkeyes also made 15 3s, and only two of them came from Clark.

"My teammates were tremendous," Clark said after the game. "The Indiana game, especially, that's really when we looked in the mirror and said we've got to find ways to succeed when teams are taking me away and making it hard and I thought everyone stepped up.

"I'm just proud of them. They're capable of doing it every night."

Iowa also held Penn State to 62 points. That's quite a turnaround from the 93 the Hawkeyes allowed in their regular-season meeting last month. Lindsey Kapinus (19) and Ashley Owusu (18) were Penn State's only players in double figures.

"We played great defense except for the third quarter," Bluder said.

MORE: Maryland knocks off Ohio State 82-61, advances to the Big Ten tournament's semifinals

MORE: Virginia Tech star Elizabeth Kitley ruled out of ACC tournament with knee injury

Caitlin Clark passed Steph Curry for the most 3-pointers in a single season in the Hawkeyes' win over the Nittany Lions.

Caitlin Clark on passing Steph Curry: 'A cool moment'

Caitlin Clark's admiration for Steph Curry wasn't going to keep her from breaking his record.

Clark's 3-pointer with 8:39 left in the fourth quarter was her 163 rd of the year, breaking Curry's single-season NCAA record.

"Steph's amazing," she said after the game. "Somebody I grew up idolizing, so a cool moment."

Clark had missed her first 11 shots from 3-point range. When she finally made one, she lifted her arms in triumph and stuck out her tongue.

"It took me a while," she said, laughing. "Some of (the) best shooters in the world have off nights."

Clark would make another later in the quarter, and now has two more than Curry made in his sophomore year at Davidson. - Nancy Armour

FINAL: Highlights from Iowa's win over Penn State

Watch the key moments from the Hawkeyes' 95-62 victory over the Nittany Lions in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.

Iowa's Sydney Affolter collects career high as Caitlin Clark has slow night

Penn State brings out the best in Caitlin Clark's teammates.

Sydney Affolter has a career high, with 18 points midway through the fourth quarter. That's four more than her previous best, set earlier this season against Bowling Green and Purdue.

Affolter's big night comes after Hannah Stuelke went off the last time Iowa and Penn State played. The sophomore had 47 against Penn State last month, which was the second-highest single-game output in program history at the time.

Clark would break that mark, scoring 49 against Michigan in the game in which she passed Kelsey Plum as the all-time scoring leader in women's NCAA basketball.

The big nights by Clark's teammates are good signs for Iowa heading into the postseason. Spectacular as Clark is, she can't do it all by herself, and her teammates getting hot late at this time of year can only help the Hawkeyes. - Nancy Armour

Caitlin Clark passes Steph Curry for single-season mark

Step aside, Steph Curry.

Caitlin Clark made her 163 rd 3-pointer this season with 8:39 left in the fourth quarter, breaking Curry's single-season NCAA record from his days at Davidson. After hitting the shot, Clark lifted her arms in triumph and stuck her tongue out while her teammates held their fingers up in the 3-point symbol.

Clark looked relieved as the ball swished through the net and no wonder. She'd missed her first 11 shots from long range, a rarity for her. - Nancy Armour

3Q: Iowa 65, Penn State 48

Caitlin Clark's weird night continues.

College basketball's all-time leading scorer has 13 points after three quarters. But with Ashley Owusu in her face on every possession, Clark has just two field goals and is 0-of-8 from 3-point range.

Iowa still has a commanding lead over Penn State, 65-48, thanks to Iowa's balanced offense. Sydney Affolter also has 13, and Gabbie Marshall has been hot from deep, going 3-of-4 from 3-point range. - Nancy Armour

Halftime: Iowa 46, Penn State 26

Holding Caitlin Clark to a single field goal in a half would ordinarily be a good sign for an opponent.

Not for Penn State.

College basketball's all-time leading scorer was just 1 of 8 in the first half Friday. But she knocked down her free throws, grabbed rebounds and set up her teammates as Iowa used a balanced offense to take a 46-26 lead over Penn State at the midway point of the quarterfinals in the Big Ten Tournament.

Clark finished the half with 10 points, six rebounds and five assists. Sydney Affolter, who started in place of the injured Molly Davis, also had 10 on 3-of-4 shooting. Iowa's other three starters all had five points or more, too.

"The balance, oh my gosh, that's when we're at our best," Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said at halftime. "I love that other people are stepping up and shooting the ball really well."

Ashley Owusu leads Penn State with 11 points and Leilani Kapinus has nine, but the Nittany Lions aren't getting much from anyone else. - Nancy Armour

Caitlin Clark doesn't hit a field goal until second quarter

Caitlin Clark won't go scoreless.

After missing her first five shots, Clark finally made a field goal with 4:48 left in the second quarter. It also was Iowa's first field goal of the quarter, after the Hawkeyes missed their first seven shots of the period. - Nancy Armour

1Q: Iowa 31, Penn State 13

Penn State missed its chance.

Caitlin Clark was 0-for-3 in the first quarter, getting her four points on free throws. But Iowa's other starters had at least four points each, led by Sydney Affolter's eight. Penn State, meanwhile, couldn't get anything to drop early. It missed its first six shots and didn't score until there were almost four minutes gone. By that point, Iowa was up 10-3 and continued to widen the lead from there.

Penn State had seven turnovers in the first quarter. - Nancy Armour

Caitlin Clark has truly dedicated fans

It's not enough just to get into the building to see Caitlin Clark. You need to get a good seat.

With seats in the upper bowl of the Target Center first-come, first-serve, people began lining up at 9 a.m. Friday – 8½ hours before tipoff of Iowa's quarterfinal game against Penn State. According to Chantel Jennings, a reporter for The Athletic, with two hours to go before the game, the line stretched at least a quarter of a mile long. - Nancy Armour

How to watch Iowa vs. Penn State

As the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten tournament, Iowa got a bye through the first and second round. Clark and the Hawkeyes will take the floor Friday at the Target Center in Minneapolis against No. 7 seed Penn State at 6:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

How to stream Iowa vs. Penn State

Iowa vs. Penn State can be streamed on Fubo .

WHEW!

Iowa's hopes for making a deep run in the NCAA tournament got a boost with the news that starter Molly Davis' knee injury is not as bad as initially feared.

Davis hurt her right knee in Sunday's regular-season finale against Ohio State. She had to be carried off the floor and was in a wheelchair for the Senior Day festivities. But Iowa said Monday that Davis' injury is not season-ending, and that she'll do physical therapy to "improve mobility for postseason play."

"While we feel for Molly that she got injured during Senior Day, we are so thankful that the injury she sustained is not season ending," coach Lisa Bluder said in a statement.

Davis has played in all 30 games this season, starting all but three. The fifth-year senior is averaging 6.1 points and is second to Clark with 93 assists. - Nancy Armour

Big Ten tournament sellout for first time

The Caitlin Clark impact is in full effect at the Big Ten tournament.

For the first time in its 30-year history, the tournament is sold out. The Big Ten said it expects more than 109,000 fans over the course of the five-day tournament at the Target Center.

Many of those fans are expected to be from Iowa, which is about a 4½-hour drive from Minneapolis. - Nancy Armour

For Caitlin Clark, more records could fall

Caitlin Clark could add to her list of records during the Big Ten tournament.

Clark, who Sunday passed Pete Maravich to become college basketball's all-time leading scorer, goes into Friday night's game needing 15 points to reach 3,700 for her career. She's averaging 32.3 points per game this season.

She also needs one 3-pointer to break Steph Curry's single-season NCAA record of 162. She is averaging a little over five per game, with a high of nine against Michigan.

And while this probably won't happen against Penn State, given her season high is 15, Clark needs 17 assists for Iowa's single-season record by a senior. - Nancy Armour

Caitlin Clark first female athlete with exclusive partnership with Panini

Iowa women's basketball star Caitlin Clark landed another endorsement deal, signing a multi-year contract with Panini , it was announced Wednesday.

Clark, the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer , becomes the first female athlete to have an exclusive partnership with Panini, one of the prominent sports and entertainment collectibles companies that features trading cards and signed memorabilia.

While the deal with Panini begins now, her trading card exclusivity with the company begins April 1.

Clark also adds to her list of expanding partnerships as she prepares for her final college basketball games and gets ready for the WNBA . She also has deals with State Farm, Nike, Bose Corporation, Buick, H&R Block, Gatorade and Gainbridge, which has the arena naming rights to the building where the NBA's Indiana Pacers and WNBA's Indiana Fever play. The Fever happen to have the No. 1 pick in the April draft. - Jeff Zillgitt

Caitlin Clark will not return to Iowa for a fifth year

The NCAA's all-time leading scorer announced this will be her final season of college basketball, as she is declaring for the 2024 WNBA draft . Clark had one season of eligibility remaining thanks to NCAA athletes getting an extra year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Clark is widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick, which is owned by the Indiana Fever .

"While this season is far from over and we have a lot more goals to achieve, it will be my last one at Iowa," Clark wrote on social media . "I am excited to be entering the 2024 WNBA Draft." - Jordan Mendoza

Now we're about to see how influential Caitlin Clark really is

Three days before Iowa's last regular-season game, Clark announced on social media that she would forgo her COVID year and enter the 2024 WNBA Draft .

There's no question Clark's game will translate to the highest level, though of course there will be an adjustment period. She's expected to go No. 1 overall to the Indiana Fever, and it's likely Lin Dunn & Co. were doing backflips in Indianapolis with the news that they will get the opportunity to draft the best scorer in the history of Division I basketball.

Clark would make the Fever, who have gone 43-121 over the past five seasons, relevant. But can she do the same for the WNBA as a whole? Read Lindsay Schnell's analysis here .

Caitlin Clark's scoring record doesn't matter. She's bigger than any number

The record, and the numbers behind it, really don't matter.

How many points Caitlin Clark has when she finishes this season, how many more that is than Pete Maravich had — they'll all eventually become footnotes. Future answers to trivia questions.

What does matter is how Clark's assault on the record books captivated the country, reflecting a seismic shift in how women's sports, and the athletes who play them, are viewed. Read Nancy Armour's column here .

Stop comparing Caitlin Clark to Pete Maravich

If women's basketball fans and advocates are honest about why the Caitlin Clark phenomenon is breaking through in a way that superstars in previous eras of their sport have not, they need to acknowledge an indelicate but crucial factor in her popularity .

While grievance is a powerful tool in sports and has long been necessary to advance equality and create opportunity for women, Clark has never presented herself as the face of a larger cause. Part of her appeal to the fans who have either ignored or mocked women's basketball in the past — mostly men, of course — is that they aren't being shamed to pay attention. Her charisma and style stand on their own.

And now that Clark has passed the 3,667-point mark that has forever been associated with Pete Maravich , that's exactly where her achievements should remain.

On their own. Just like Pistol Pete's. Read Dan Wolken's column here .

Caitlin Clark's legacy secure, with or without an NCAA title

Caitlin Clark doesn't need a title to cement her legacy.

She is now the all-time leading scorer in college basketball, men's and women's, having passed Pete Maravich on Sunday afternoon. She also holds the Iowa records for 3-point shots and assists, and took the Hawkeyes to their first Final Four in 30 years. She is all but assured of winning her second consecutive Player of the Year Award next month, making her the first repeat winner since Breanna Stewart won three in a row from 2014 to 2016.

She is, to put it simply, one of the best college players ever, and that will not change whether she leaves Iowa with a national championship or not.

Of course Clark wants a title before she goes to the WNBA . No one at her level is satisfied with just being here. She and the Hawkeyes have extra motivation, too, having come up short against LSU in last year's championship game.

But winning a title would only add to her legacy. Not winning one will take nothing away from it. Read Nancy Armour's column here .

How tall is Caitlin Clark?  

Clark is 6-foot. Big guards have become more common in women's basketball the last decade or so, and Clark's size absolutely helps her because she's able to see over defenders on the break and get more vertical separation when she goes up for a shot.  

Also of note: Clark, who's pretty thin, worked hard last summer to put on eight pounds of muscle and that has made a huge difference in her game, particularly when she drives to the rim. 

Caitlin Clark's record-breaking shots

She passed Kelsey Plum to become the all-time NCAA Division I women's leading scorer. Watch the shot here:

She passed Pete Maravich to become the all-time NCAA Division I leading scorer. Watch the shot here:

Caitlin Clark gives Fox huge viewership numbers

Caitlin Clark continues to pull in big numbers, whether viewers are watching her in person or tuning in at home.

Iowa's game Sunday against Ohio State on Fox drew an average of 3.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched women's basketball game in the network's history.

Clark scored 35 points to become NCAA Division I basketball's all-time leading scorer , breaking a mark set by LSU's Pete Maravich.

Fox says the Hawkeyes' 93-83 victory over Ohio State was the most-watched regular-season women's college basketball game on any network since 1999. Viewership peaked in the second half at 4.42 million viewers. - Scooby Axson

WNBA legend Sue Bird: Caitlin Clark will have 'success early' in league

Four-time WNBA champion Sue Bird believes Caitlin Clark's game will translate well into the WNBA.

"I do think she has a chance at having a lot of success early," Bird said during an appearance on  "The Sports Media Podcast" with Richard Deitsch , which airs in full on Thursday.

Bird cites the Iowa star's range as the key weapon to her success. (Clark did break the  women's all-time NCAA scoring record   on a  35-foot logo shot , after all.) "I think a lot of it comes down to her long-distance shooting. That is her separator. You're not really used to guarding people out there," Bird explained. – Cydney Henderson

What type of Caitlin Clark fan are you? Take the quiz.

Do you love Caitlin Clark or do you love Caitlin Clark? 

Love her, hate her, like her or think she's overrated, one thing is for sure: The senior guard from Iowa has serious game. 

Not sure exactly where you stand? We can help you out. This USA TODAY Sports quiz will reveal the answer to a crucial question as we prep for March Madness: What kind of Caitlin Clark fan are you? – Lindsay Schnell

Look at how much Caitlin Clark fans travel, spend to watch her

By now you've probably heard that Iowa All-American Caitlin Clark, the reigning national player of the year, has a tendency to sell out any arena she plays in. But for a closer look at #Clarkonomics — as ESPN analyst Debbie Antonelli has termed it — USA TODAY reporter Jim Sergent worked up a graphic look at just how much Iowa fans will spend and how far they'll travel to see Clark in person. The numbers are telling, to say the least. 

Caitlin Clark stats 

Caitlin Clark has 3,685 career points after scoring 35 vs. Ohio State, when she became the all-time leading scorer in Division I. She is averaging 32.3 points per game this season.

What is Caitlin Clark's highest-scoring game?  

Clark's highest-scoring game was also her record-breaking performance on Feb. 15 against Michigan in the 2023-24 season, when she scored 49 points. Clark shot 16-for-31, including 9-for-18 from 3. She also grabbed five rebounds and handed out 13 assists in the 106-89 win. 

Caitlin Clark game-by-game points this season 

Here's a breakdown of Clark's scoring this season for the Hawkeyes: 

vs. Penn State, 3/8/24: 24 points (Big Ten tournament)
vs. Ohio State, 3/3/24: 35 points
at Minnesota , 2/28/24: 33 points
vs. Illinois, 2/25/24: 24 points
at Indiana, 2/22/24: 24 points
vs. Michigan, 2/15/24: 49 points  (season-high, school record for single game) 
vs. Nebraska, 2/11/24: 31 points
vs. Penn State, 2/8/24: 27 points 
at Maryland, 2/3/24: 38 points 
at Northwestern, 1/31/24: 35 points 
vs. Nebraska, 1/27/2024: 38 points 
at Ohio State, 1/21/2024: 45 points
vs. Wisconsin, 1/16/2024: 32 points 
vs. Indiana, 1/13/2024: 30 points 
at Purdue, 1/10/2024: 26 points 
at Rutgers, 1/5/2024: 29 points 
vs. Michigan State, 1/2/2024: 40 points 
vs. Minnesota, 12/30/2023: 35 points 
vs. Loyola Chicago, 12/21/2023: 35 points 
vs. Cleveland State, 12/16/2023: 38 points 
at Wisconsin, 12/10/2023: 28 points 
vs. Iowa State, 12/6/2023: 35 points 
vs. Bowling Green, 12/2/2023: 24 points 
vs. Kansas State, 11/26/2023: 32 points 
vs. Florida Gulf Coast, 11/25/2023: 21 points 
vs. Purdue Fort Wayne, 11/24/2023: 29 points 
vs. Drake, 11/19/2023: 35 points 
vs. Kansas State, 11/16/2023: 24 points 
at UNI, 11/12/2023: 24 points 
vs. Virginia Tech, 11/9/2023: 44 points 
vs. FDU, 11/6/2023: 28 points

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Caitlin Clark passes Steph Curry for most 3s in a season, Iowa wins

Mobilize your Website

View Site in Mobile | Classic

Share by: