Caitlin Clark shatters NCAA scoring record

Like a worn-out turntable stylus, Caitlin Clark can’t stop breaking records.

The senior Iowa point guard broke the women’s NCAA scoring record last night against Michigan, surpassing the previous record of 3,527 points and cementing her status as the greatest women’s NCAA baller of all time.

Clark, who was named a midseason Player of the Year this week, has brought undivided attention to a sport often overshadowed by the men’s version. She’s averaged over 32 points per game (USC’s JuJu Watkins is second with 27.7) and, in December, became the first Division I player—man or woman—to accumulate 3,000 points, 900 assists, and 800 rebounds in a career.

It’s not just scoring records. With fans anticipating the milestone, tickets to last night’s game cost $375 on average—the most expensive ticket ever for any women’s basketball game, college or professional.

• Prices typically decrease as it gets closer to an event in order to sell seats—but not for Clark’s games. Tickets spiked more than $100 in the two weeks leading up to last night.
• The face value of a typical Iowa women’s basketball ticket outside of season ticket packages is just $15.

There’s another record to be broken. Lynette Woodard, who played women’s college bball for Kansas in the 1970s, scored 3,649 points in her four years. She doesn’t officially hold the NCAA record because the NCAA didn’t include women’s sports at the time. In any event, Clark will probably break that one soon, too.—CC