Iowa star Caitlin Clark became the all-time NCAA scoring leader, breaking the late Pete Maravich’s 54-year-old record when she made two free throws during the Hawkeyes’ game against Ohio State on Sunday.
Clark entered the game needing 18 points to pass Maravich’s total of 3,617. Maravich’s record fell four days after Clark broke Lynette Woodard’s major college women’s record with 33 points against Minnesota.
Woodard was among those at Carver-Hawkeye Arena to help Clark celebrate. Also in attendance were basketball star Maya Moore, Clark’s favorite player, and Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan.
On Thursday, Clark announced she would enter the 2024 WNBA draft, skipping the fifth year of eligibility for athletes participating in the Covid-19 pandemic. She is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick of the Indiana Fever, and the WNBA is already seeing an increase in ticket sales.
“Listen, this is the best ticket in the world right now,” Woodard said in an interview with ESPN before the game, where tickets were selling for nearly $600 on resale sites. “Hey, I’m going to enjoy this now.”
Clark is all but assured of one or two more appearances after Sunday at the Iowa City arena. Iowa is projected to be the No. 2 seed for the NCAA Tournament, meaning they would be at home for the first two rounds.
Francis Marion’s Pearl Moore owns the overall women’s record with 4,061 points from 1975-79 at the small college level in the AIAW. Moore had 177 points at Anderson Junior College before enrolling at Francis Marion.
Clark is 411 behind Moore, and she only has three to 10 games left in an Iowa uniform, depending on how far the Hawkeyes advance in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.
Maravich’s all-time goal was one of the most remarkable in sports history: it came in just 83 games over three seasons, from 1967 to 1970. There was no shot clock or three-point line in those days. The three-point line was adopted in 1986. Maravich averaged 44.2 points per game and scored more than 60 in a game four times.
With Clark as headliner, Iowa has helped sell out or break an attendance record in 30 of 32 games this season. The only two games that were canceled were during a Thanksgiving tournament in Florida.
“She’s just a phenomenal, phenomenal player who helped change the women’s game,” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “She has helped bring a tremendous amount of light, respect and viewership to the women’s game. She is amazing. She’s a competitor.
“You either love her or hate her, but normally you hate her because of how hard she competes. I have a ton of respect for someone who is so competitive and has never seen an opportunity she didn’t like.