Caitlin Clark scores 35 to reach No 2 on NCAA’s all-time scoring list

Caitlin Clark rode right past Jackie Stiles and Kelsey Mitchell. Next up is Kelsey Plum. That’s the only name above Clark on the NCAA women’s basketball scoring list.

Clark collected 35 points, 10 assists and six rebounds in front of a sold-out crowd at Welsh-Ryan Arena, leading Iowa to a 110-74 victory over Northwestern on Wednesday night.

Three weeks after passing Brittney Griner, Clark defeated two more big names in women’s hoops. She passed Stiles for third on the NCAA list when she made a 3-pointer in the first quarter. She advanced ahead of Ohio State’s Mitchell when she converted a layup with 4:58 left in the first half, making her the career scoring leader for the Big Ten.

Clark finished the night with 3,424 points and left to a big ovation with 4:23 to go. Plum, who played at Washington from 2013 to 2017, tops the Women’s Division I scoring list with 3,527 points.

“I think the coolest thing is just the names I see,” Clark said. “Those are people I grew up watching, especially Kelsey Plum, Brittney Griner and Kelsey Mitchell. They are really great players.”

Cheered on by a crowd of 7,039 filled with Iowa colors and littered with Clark shirts, the senior guard went 11 for 22 from the field and 10 for 10 at the free throw line. It was her 13th game this season with at least 30 points.

But it was her death that really stood out. She made a nice pass ahead to Hannah Stuelke for a fast-break layup in the second quarter, and she found Sydney Affolter for a backdoor layup in the third.

“This was one that was definitely on my calendar just because I know how many Iowa fans there are in the Chicago area,” Clark said. “So I was super excited to get here. I love this gym.”

Clark has been limited to single digits just once in her collegiate career, when she scored eight points in a 77-67 loss at Northwestern in January 2021.