With an impressive victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday, Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark became the Division-I all-time highest scorer in basketball, male or female, surpassing Hall of Famer “Pistol” Pete Maravich.

To overtake Maravich and tie the record with 3,667 points at the start of the game, Clark needed to score 18 points. In the last seconds of the first half, she made two free throws that broke the record. She stated the record wasn’t on her mind at the moment in a brief interview conducted during halftime.

“Not really, but I knew when they announced it and everyone screamed,” she remarked.

After finishing the game with 35 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds, Clark’s career total of 3,685 points was achieved as No. 6 Iowa defeated No. 2 Ohio State 93-83.

“I’m just very thankful for all these people that are going to stick around and support us and have supported us over the course of my four years,” she said. “It probably won’t hit me until a little bit later but just gonna enjoy it with my family and my teammates and just really thankful to be in this place.”

The 22-year-old senior, who is renowned for her skillful playmaking and deep-range shooting, has emerged as one of the most prominent figures in collegiate sports history and just broke the record for most points scored in NCAA women’s basketball. As defenders scrambled to stop her, she took 15 shots in the first half of Sunday’s game against Ohio State, 10 of which came from deep, and added six assists.

Clark made history last year when she guided Iowa to the national championship game, the school’s first-ever title game appearance, thanks to her incredible play during March Madness. In a game that featured a noteworthy altercation between Clark and LSU forward Angel Reese, Iowa lost to the LSU Tigers.

Since then, Clark has grown into the collegiate basketball league’s most formidable player. Her popularity outside of the court, however, is unrestricted.

Since Fanatics started offering collegiate athletic wear in 2022, Clark’s University of Iowa jerseys and shirts have been the company’s best-selling college player edition, the firm informed CNN. Among others, she has agreements with Gatorade, Nike, and State Farm.

Her performance broke records. LeBron James, who owns the NBA scoring record, gave Sunday high marks. According to CNN Sports Analyst Christine Brennan, Clark’s accomplishment has altered public perceptions of basketball and is a significant turning point in the history of women’s sports.

“I think Caitlin is having a lot of us look at this sport that is such an American institution in a different way,” she said.

“Pistol Pete” Maravich, the Hall of Famer renowned for his inventive playmaking, outside shooting, and moptop hair, established the NCAA Division-I basketball scoring record in 1970 with 3,667 career points. Over the course of three seasons at LSU, Maravich scored over 44 points on 38 shots a game during a period when there was no shot clock, no three-point line, and freshmen were not permitted to play. At the age of 40, he passed away in 1988.

Last month, Clark surpassed Kelsey Plum of the University of Washington to become the all-time top scorer in NCAA women’s basketball history. She also surpassed Lynette Woodard, a Kansas player who competed in the NCAA’s predecessor league, to become the all-time top scorer in major women’s college basketball history.

Clark, an Iowa native, committed to her alma mater in 2020, and it has turned out to be a brilliant move for her, the Hawkeyes, and women’s basketball in general.

scoring over 27 points a night as a rookie. Clark continued to lead Iowa to its first NCAA women’s basketball national championship game in her third season on the squad. She also added over seven rebounds and eighteen assists a game.

The yearly advancement of Clark’s career has been among its most remarkable aspects. She is scoring significantly more points than she has ever scored in a season this year, averaging just over 32 points on a strong shooting percentage of 46.9%, which includes about 40% from three-point range.

And the more she developed, the more people were interested in her game.

In October 2023, she said to TNT Sports, “I started in a year where it was Covid, and you’re playing in front of just your family and cardboard cutouts.” “It’s unique and historic to be performing in front of 15,000 people as a senior.

She declared, “It’s not really anything that’s been done in women’s basketball before.”

Similar to NBA players Steph Curry and WNBA player Sabrina Ionescu, Clark has become a social media sensation and an elite talent thanks to her ability to make game-changing three-pointers from deep inside the opponent’s defense.

Clark announced last week that she will forgo a final year of eligibility and instead join the WNBA Draft at the conclusion of this season. After the Indiana Fever won the lottery to get the first overall pick, she will probably play for them.

Topics #All-Time Scoring Record #basketball #Caitlin Clark