IOWA CITY, Iowa -- February 15th, 2024

Written by Michael Voepel | ESPN.com

Caitlin Clark has filled arenas all season, and the packed house here Thursday got to see the home state hero make sports history. The Iowa Hawkeyes guard broke the NCAA women's basketball career scoring record, delighting the crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

And she did it about as quickly as she possibly could.

Clark came into No. 4 Iowa's game against Michigan with 3,520 points, needing eight to break the mark set by Washington's Kelsey Plum (3,527) from 2013 to 2017.

Clark converted a layup off the opening tip. Then she hit a 3-pointer from her favorite spot on the court, the left side. Another 3-pointer from the same side produced pandemonium. It took her 2 minutes, 12 seconds to become the record holder.

Clark and Hawkeyes coach Lisa Bluder had said coming into the game that they didn't anticipate a stoppage of play when the record came. But Iowa took a timeout, and Clark's teammates gathered with her in a joyous group hug on the court. Clark's broad smile told the story of the night: The chase for a record she said had never felt like a burden was now hers to celebrate.

"It's cool. It's cool to be in the same realm as a lot of really, really good players," Clark said at halftime in a televised interview. "I'm lucky to do it because I have really good teammates and really good coaches and a great support system that surrounds me."

She wasn't done after breaking the record, though. Clark scored a career-high and Iowa-record 49 points in the Hawkeyes' 106-89 win. She now has 3,569 points for her career.

Her nine 3-pointers (on 18 attempts) tied her career best. She also contributed 13 assists, five rebounds and a steal in the win. She finished with a total of 79 points scored or assisted on, the most by any Division I player in a game over the past 25 seasons.

Bluder took Clark out of the game with 1:46 left, shortly after she made her final 3, and she went to the bench to an ovation from the sellout crowd.

"This is a place I grew up loving, and people have supported me ever since I was a young girl playing high school basketball in this state," Clark said postgame of setting the record in her home state. "They always pushed me to achieve my dreams and supported me every step of the way. I'm just grateful that I get to wear Iowa across my chest and represent my state that cares so much about women's athletics and women's basketball, especially. I get to live out my dream every day."

"The enthusiasm that she has brought to this program, and quite honestly, to women's basketball nationally, is amazing," Bluder said. "I just love it, and we need to ride this. Women's basketball all across the country needs to ride the enthusiasm that's going on in our sport right now."

Clark could reach even more scoring milestones in her senior season. The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) large-school women's record -- set just before the NCAA era by Kansas' Lynette Woodard from 1977 to 1981 -- is 3,649 points. The NCAA men's record is 3,667 by LSU's Pete Maravich from 1967 to 1970, before freshman eligibility in college basketball.

Clark is already the first Division I women's player to reach 3,000 points and 1,000 assists. But records and milestones are just part of Clark's story. She is a generational talent who is growing her sport's popularity.

"My favorite athletes are those who are champions in sports and champions in life, and Caitlin Clark is one of those athletes," tennis champion and women's sports advocate Billie Jean King told ESPN.

"She is the hottest star in basketball -- all of basketball, and not just women's basketball -- and with that comes a heavy responsibility to be a leader on and off the court. She gets it, and that is part of the reason she will have an opportunity to be one of the best in her sport and a role model for future generations."

There is a lot on the shoulders of the just-turned 22-year-old, but Clark looks as if she's having the time of her life. She plays with the same passion, confidence and joyful flair she first brought to the court as a college freshman in 2020, when games were mostly played in near-empty arenas because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, the "Caitlin Clark Show" is one of the hottest tickets in sports. Fans of all ages call out her name and wear her No. 22 jersey. Parents drive their children hundreds of miles to watch Clark.

https://www.espn.com/womens-college-b...