Caitlin Clark breaks Pete Maravich's all-time scoring record as Iowa beats Ohio State

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Caitlin Clark breaks Pete Maravich's all-time scoring record as Iowa beats Ohio State

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

Sun, Mar 3, 2024 ·

21 min read

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With her favorite player looking on and another great women's scorer in attendance, Caitlin Clark became the leading scorer in NCAA Division I basketball Sunday over Ohio State.

The record was expected – Clark started the game just 18 points from passing Pete Maravich – but caused a celebration all the same. When Clark hit two free throws with .3 seconds to play in the first half, Iowa fans went crazy, in the arena and online . Included in the crowd was former WNBA MVP Maya Moore , Clark's childhood idol, and Lynette Woodard, previously the best scorer in the history of women's major-college basketball.

It was a fitting moment for the homegrown superstar who said last week that this would be her last college season and she will enter the 2024 WNBA Draft .

Clark finished with 35 points (plus nine assists, six rebounds and three steals) in Iowa's 93-83 win.

Maravich scored 3,667 points at LSU from 1967-70, before freshmen were eligible to play and the 3-point line existed. His record has stood for more than five decades (though Antoine Davis came extremely close to passing it when he scored 3,664 points for Detroit Mercy from 2018-2023). While some have argued we shouldn't compare Clark and Maravich because they played in such different eras, there's no question it's a milestone worth acknowledging.

And she's not done yet. Clark will continue to add to her career points total (3,685 and counting) as Iowa begins the postseason. The Hawkeyes have a bye into the Big Ten quarterfinals as the No. 2 seed, and will play their first game of the conference tourney Friday. After their run through the conference tournament, Iowa is set to host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament as a top-4 seed .

It is entirely possible that Clark, one of the most prolific scorers in the history of basketball, will in the end set a record that might never be broken.

— Lindsay Schnell

OPINION: Caitlin Clark is among college basketball's greats, with or without an NCAA title

Caitlin Clark praises Iowa fans for changing women's basketball

Though Clark is not one to dwell on her accomplishments or the frenzy that's surrounded her this season, she's not unaware of it.

Clark used her time at senior day to thank the Iowa fans. She recalled playing games in empty arenas her freshman year, when the COVID-19 pandemic was still raging. Crowds grew her sophomore season, she said, noting that curtains used to block empty seats often had to be removed.

Now, Iowa women's basketball is the hottest ticket in the country.

"It isn't what it is without all of you," Clark told the crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

"This is special," she added. "I don't know if you realize what you're doing for women's basketball, women's sports in general, but you're changing it."

One sign of that: Clark's parents and brothers wore T-shirts made by Nike featuring a drawing of her shooting and the words, "This was never a long shot." That's the tagline Nike used for Clark passing Maravich, which isn't to be confused with the "You break it, you own it" tagline when she passed Plum. – Nancy Armour

FINAL: Iowa 93, Ohio State 83

And that's all she wrote, folks.

Led by Clark, Iowa avenged one of its toughest losses of the season, beating Ohio State 93-83 on senior day in Iowa City. Clark led all scorers with 35 points, adding nine assists, six rebounds and three steals to her stat line.

Clark wasn't the only star Sunday, though: Hannah Stuelke scored 23 and grabbed nine rebounds. Gabby Marshall had 12, and Kate Martin chipped in 11.

Meanwhile, Ohio State had five players in double figures, led by Jacy Sheldon's 24 points.

With the win, Iowa locks up the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten conference tournament, which starts this week. Ohio State is the 1 seed, which means we could get another Iowa-Ohio State game next Sunday, March 10.

It wasn't all good news for Iowa though: After hurting her right knee, Molly Davis returned to the sideline in a wheelchair, with her leg heavily wrapped. Her status going forward is unknown.

— Lindsay Schnell

Iowa vs. Ohio State highlights: Caitlin Clark passes Pete Maravich

LeBron congratulates Caitlin Clark

From one all-time leading scorer to another.

LeBron James, who went over 40,000 points in the NBA on Saturday night, congratulated Clark on breaking Maravich's 54-year-old record.

"CONGRATS @CaitlinClark22 on becoming the All-Time leading scorer!!" James wrote on X , adding 13 bucket emojis, as well as the salute and crown emojis.

End of 3Q: Iowa 75, Ohio State 64

Every time Ohio State inches closer, Iowa has an answer.

Of course, it helps when the best player in the country is helping you find those answers.

Through three quarters, Clark has 29 points, but she's doing a lot more than scoring: she also has eight assists, four rebounds and three steals.

Ohio State cut the lead to five midway through the third but Iowa responded immediately, and after Ohio State picked up another technical — this one by Harris after a physical battle for a rebound — the Hawkeyes went to the line and hit three more free throws. Sheldon ended the quarter by hitting a 3 for the Buckeyes to pull them within 11, but the 15-3 run Iowa reeled off earlier will make it hard for Ohio State to climb back into this game.

— Lindsay Schnell

Lynette Woodard praises Caitlin Clark

Clark did what the NCAA would not. She brought recognition to Lynette Woodard and her scoring record .

Woodard scored 3,649 points at Kansas. But women's basketball wasn't an NCAA sport at the time, governed instead by the AIAW. Though the NCAA now recognizes coaches' wins in the AIAW, it still doesn't recognize players' points. That's why Kelsey Plum, not Woodard, was the leading scorer in NCAA women's college basketball until Clark passed her.

"Records are made to be broken. But they're also meant to be honored. Because of (Clark), my record is being honored," said Woodard, who was at the game Sunday.

Woodard said she's been thrilled to watch Clark's assault on the record books. She's even more thrilled at the reaction there's been.

"This is a great time for women's basketball, Caitlin is leading the way," Woodard said.

"It's just beautiful to watch," Woodard added. "What they've done here at the University of Iowa has transcended the game. Every walk of life, everybody knows Caitlin Clark, the University of Iowa and what she's done."

— Nancy Armour

Nike's newest Caitlin Clark commercial

Nike was ready for Clark to become the NCAA's leading scorer.

The shoe giant, which currently has Clark on its roster of athletes, clearly had fun with a new commercial that lists Clark's accomplishments, and calls her the "current even-more-outstanding player." Watch below:

Hours before tipoff, fans line up to see Caitlin Clark

With Iowa Hawkeyes superstar Caitlin Clark on the verge of making college basketball history, some fans couldn't bear to wait for the noon (local) tip-off.

Clark entered Sunday 18 points away from breaking "Pistol Pete" Maravich's Division I college basketball all-time scoring record. As the Iowa women's basketball star prepared to break the record during Iowa's senior day, hundreds of fans showed up to Carver-Hawkeye Arena three hours before the Hawkeyes' scheduled tip-off.

One photo taken around 9 a.m. CT showed fans lining up outside the arena. A video taken after doors opened at 9 a.m. featured fans streaming into the stadium's lower bowl well ahead of the game.

Read (and see) more here .

Travis Scott in town to watch Caitlin Clark

Fellow athletes aren't the only stars impressed by Clark. Rapper Travis Scott was at Sunday's game to watch Clark break Maravich's all-time scoring record.

"Caitlin is my friend," Scott told ESPN's Holly Rowe . "Here for her and Gabbie Marshall who is amazing."

On X, Scott said he "might need that #22 jersey tonight!!!!!" Clark, of course, wears No. 22.

Scott was far from the only celebrity celebrating Clark and congratulating her on the record .

— Nancy Armour

Caitlin Clark to get custom Kristin Juszczyk vest to commemorate record

Caitlin Clark will be given a custom vest by Kristin Juszczyk to celebrate her senior day. The vest commemorates her breaking Kelsey Plum's NCAA women's scoring record along with her school records, per Yahoo Sports . The vest features elements from Clark's Hawkeyes jerseys and "NCAA women's scoring leader" and "all-time Iowa leader in: points, assists, 3PM, FGM."

The designer skyrocketed to fame this past NFL season because she makes her own clothes to cheer on her husband, San Francisco 49ers' fullback Kristin Juszczyk, and also made jersey jackets for Simone Biles and Taylor Swift, who is dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce . The pop superstar's jacket went viral and helped boost Juszczyk to 1 million Instagram followers and a licensing deal with the NFL.

WNBA can't wait for Caitlin Clark to join the party

The WNBA and the Indiana Fever are just a tad excited that Clark is taking her show to the league soon.

Both the W and the Fever congratulated Clark on social media after she broke Maravich's record.

"congratulations to Caitlin Clark on passing Pete Maravich's all-time NCAA scoring record" the Fever said on X , adding a fire emoji.

The WNBA congratulated her and said, "3,668 points … and counting."

Clark announced last week that she will forego a fifth season at Iowa and turn pro. The Fever has the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft next month, and is all but certain to take Clark with it. Will Clark be able to elevate not just the Fever, but the league as a whole?

— Nancy Armour

See Caitlin Clark's free throw that broke the record

Watch the shot here .

Halftime: Iowa 48, Ohio State 39

Talk about a frenzied end to the first half.

Just two points from the record, Clark launched a 3 with 14 seconds left — way too much time — allowing Ohio State to score again before the period ended, bringing Ohio State within five, 44-29.

But then Iowa got out in transition (again), and Stuelke got fouled on a shot attempt. In the aftermath of that foul call, Ohio State's McMahon was hit with a technical for pushing Clark, which led to two free throws from Clark. And that's how she broke the record. So suddenly, it's a four-point Iowa possession, and the Hawkeyes have a nine-point halftime lead.

Naturally, Clark leads all scorers with 18 points.

The difference right now is in the paint, where Iowa has doubled up the Buckeyes, outscoring them 20-10 (Stuelke has 10 of those 20 paint points, plus four points from the charity stripe). Iowa has also taken 12 free throws to Ohio State's four. Both of these things are helping cover the fact that Iowa has 10 turnovers.

Sheldon leads Ohio State with 12 points, but McMahon still only has four.

Also, Iowa announced that Davis is out for the rest of the game with a knee injury. That's a tough loss for Iowa. Davis doesn't score much, but she does a lot that doesn't show up in the box score.

— Lindsay Schnell

How Caitlin Clark passed Pete Maravich with her 3,668th point

Well that was anticlimactic.

Instead of hitting a logo 3 to break Maravich's all-time scoring record, as she did to pass Kelsey Plum, Clark got it with a free throw with less than a second left in the first half.

Ohio State's Cotie McMahon had bumped Clark slightly, but Clark did her best Cristiano Ronaldo imitation to sell it and McMahon was hit with a technical. Clark made the first free throw to tie Maravich, then the second to get the record for herself.

When the halftime buzzer sounded, Clark's teammates jumped up and down and the crowd went wild.

"Not really," Clark told Fox's Allison Williams at halftime. "But then when they announced and everybody screamed, that's when I knew. Pretty cool."

— Nancy Armour

6:39, 2Q: Iowa's Molly Davis goes down

After making a great defensive play and poking the ball loose, Molly Davis is down.

Davis took an awkward fall when she stepped in front of an Ohio State pass, and instantly grabbed for her right knee. On the replay, it looked like she badly rolled her right ankle. She is clearly in a lot of pain, and Iowa staffers had to carry her off the floor.

As the crowd chanted her name, Davis gave the thumbs up as she went back into the tunnel and to the training room. Iowa had a 36-26 lead when Davis went down.

— Lindsay Schnell

End of 1Q: Iowa 28, Ohio State 19

Sheesh, Iowa plays well at home.

A 17-3 run midway through the first quarter helped the Hawkeyes build as much as a 15-point lead. Part of that run came from Iowa slicing and dicing Ohio State's vaunted press. Iowa already has a 7-2 edge in fast break points, and Clark already has five assists (and just one turnover).

Meanwhile, Clark is just 12 points away from passing Maravich after two first-quarter 3s.

Ohio State seems to be settling a little. Jacy Sheldon already has nine points, but if the Buckeyes are going to pull off another win over Iowa, Cotie McMahon, who currently has just two points, has to get going offensively.

— Lindsay Schnell

Caitlin Clark shines with passing, too

Clark's scoring gets the attention, but my word, her court vision and passing is just as lethal . She has just three points through the first seven-plus minutes of the game but five assists, including a slick pass through traffic to Hannah Stuelke. Stuelke drew a foul on the driving layup and made the free throw to convert the three-point play to put Iowa up 22-10.

— Nancy Armour

4:39, 1Q: Iowa 13, Ohio State 7

Fox Sports analyst Sara Kustok said it best: "This building might explode."

It is LOUD in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and the Buckeyes seem rattled by it. Clark only has three points so far, connecting on just 1-of-4 attempts, but Iowa, a team not known for defense, has already forced Ohio State into three turnovers.

And while Clark might not be shooting great early, her team came to play and has hit on 4-of-6 attempts. All together, Iowa is shooting 50% from the field. That's a good way to get revenge on one of the toughest losses of the season.

— Lindsay Schnell

How to watch Iowa vs. Ohio State

No. 2 Ohio State at No. 6 Iowa can be seen nationally on Fox and can be streamed using the Fox Sports App . The game can also be found on Fubo . For Fox, Gus Johnson will be on the play-by-play with analyst Sarah Kustok. Allison Williams will handle sideline duties.

Maya Moore surprises Caitlin Clark for senior day

Caitlin Clark got the ultimate surprise on senior day — a visit from her favorite player.

Anyone who's talked to Clark knows that as a young girl, she pretty much worshipped Maya Moore, the former WNBA MVP who lead the Minnesota Lynx to four WNBA titles during her eight-year career. Clark's dad, Brent, would make the 3.5-hour drive from their home in Des Moines to Minneapolis to watch Moore, and after a game once, Caitlin ran on the floor to hug Moore. Caitlin said of meeting her idol, "Ten seconds can go a long way in someone's life."

Sunday morning, she got a lot more than 10 seconds though.

Standing outside the Iowa locker room after shoot around, Clark was being interviewed when Moore walked on the scene. Clark shrieked in excitement, and hugged her hero again.

"I feel like I'm fangirl-ing," said Clark, who was clearly overcome with emotion. It was a pure, joyful moment.

Earlier this season, USA TODAY Sports spoke to Moore, who praised Clark's performance in the NCAA tournament, saying of an athlete who's able to thrive when the lights are brightest, "that's the marker of someone who's the real deal."

— Lindsay Schnell

Stop comparing Caitlin Clark and 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 as this weekend approaches, where the narrative around Clark will now turn to 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 .

What Caitlin Clark has done is 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 .

Can anyone challenge Caitlin Clark's NCAA scoring record?

Kelsey Plum's record stood for seven years. Iowa coach Lisa Bluder thinks Clark's could stand even longer.

"This record is going to stand for a long time and I'm just glad she's wearing black and gold," Bluder said.

Bluder also said she loved that Clark set the record with a logo 3, the shot that's become her signature.

"You do it, you do it well, girl," Bluder said. – Nancy Armour

Hawkeye fans show their support of Caitlin Clark and Pete Maravich.

Caitlin Clark stats 

Clark enters Sunday's game with 3,650 career points , just 18 from passing Pete Maravich on the all-time scoring list. She is averaging 32.1 points per game this season with one regular-season game remaining, plus Big Ten and NCAA tournament games.

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 that game, including 9-for-18 from 3. She also grabbed five rebounds and handed out 13 assists in the 106-89 win. 

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

Sheryl Swoopes speaks with Caitlin Clark after viral comments

After making a  controversial dig  at  Caitlin Clark  as she neared the  women's all-time NCAA scoring record , Sheryl Swoopes said she spoke to the Iowa star about her comments − thanks to LSU's  Angel Reese .

The three-time WNBA Most Valuable Player was on the broadcast for Sunday's game between Baylor and Texas Tech, where she said Reese helped facilitate a conversation between her and Clark.

"A couple of weeks ago, I reached out to Angel and had a really good conversation with Angel over the phone and sent a message to Caitlin. She responded. She and I went back and forth," Swoopes said. "I won't share what she said, I'll leave that to her if she wants to share. But I will say, what I said to her was, 'I made a mistake in saying it was your fifth year when it is your fourth.' " – Jordan Mendoza

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 helps her get 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. 

Clark-mania: A look at how much Caitlin Clark fans travel and spend to watch Iowa star 

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. 

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  last week 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

Caitlin Clark game-by-game points this season 

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

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: Iowa vs. Ohio State highlights: Caitlin Clark passes "Pistol" Pete

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