Iowa’s Caitlin Clark closing in on Big Ten scoring record after 38-point game vs. Nebraska

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark closing in on Big Ten scoring record after 38-point game vs. Nebraska

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa guard Caitlin Clark is within 14 points of setting a Big Ten scoring record after a 38-point performance in a 92-73 win against Nebraska on Saturday.

Clark, who surpassed the 30-point barrier for the 49th time, has 3,389 career points, just four shy of tying former Missouri State guard Jackie Stiles for third on the NCAA’s all-time scoring list. Former Ohio State guard Kelsey Mitchell currently holds the Big Ten record with 3,402 points and sits second in NCAA history behind Washington’s Kelsey Plum (3,527).

“I couldn’t tell you how close I am,” Clark said. “It’s not something I’m after. I just keep playing the game, keep having fun, and this is kind of what just comes along with it.

“We’re down to nine regular-season games left, and that’s hard for me to wrap my head around because the season just goes so fast. I’m just trying to enjoy every single second with my team.”

Clark has scored at least 26 points in every Big Ten game and will attempt to set the league record Wednesday at Northwestern. The game at Welsh-Ryan Arena was sold out in November, and resale tickets start at $608 per seat. Every Iowa women’s home game was sold out by August.

Against Nebraska (13-7, 5-4 Big Ten), Clark drilled eight 3-pointers and grabbed 10 rebounds while finishing with six assists for the No. 5 Hawkeyes (19-2, 8-1). The game’s physical play frustrated Clark, who often threw up her hands toward officials after contact and no whistle. At one point late in the first quarter, Iowa coach Lisa Bluder stepped in and lectured her star player.

“My message is let me do the talking to the officials,” Bluder said. “That’s my job. So I just want to do my job.”

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦… Double-Double. @CaitlinClark22: 38 pts, 10 reb, 6 ast#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/tMrUVJM3gm

— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) January 27, 2024

“What I love about Coach Bluder is she coaches me,” Clark said. “There’s other people that maybe can’t take that. But that’s what I want, and I embrace that. I never want to stop being coached. I never want to stop being told what’s right, what’s wrong, no matter how good I play, how bad I play.

“She holds me to a very high standard, and she’s going to get on me because she knows there’s still areas for me to improve.”

Clark took over the third quarter with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting. She scored on three consecutive possessions — two of which ended with 3-pointers — to take a six-point lead to 13. She had four 3-pointers in the third quarter alone and added two more early in the fourth quarter. Her final 3-pointer was from nearly halfcourt as the shot clock expired.

“Those are like the most fun shots to take,” Clark said. “It’s like a free-for-all. You can do whatever you want. You’ve got to get it up. It’s a free pass.”

The contest was Iowa’s first since a 100-92 overtime loss at Ohio State in which the Buckeyes fans rushed the floor after the victory. The loss ended a 15-game winning streak and forced the Iowa players to regroup mentally, including Clark.

“We were winning the entire game,” Clark said. “That’s probably why it hurt to us more is we didn’t go to Columbus and lay an egg; we went there and played really good basketball.

“It was a good point for our team for everybody to look themselves in the mirror and find ways to get better because clearly, we’re not meeting the standard of where we need to be right now if you want to be Big Ten champions.”

(Photo: Matthew Holst / Getty Images)

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Iowa Hawkeyes,Women’s College Basketball,College Football