Move over Pete Maravich, make way for Caitlin Clark, there’s a new all-time leading scorer in college basketball.
via: NPR
Iowa’s Clark became the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader on Sunday, as she closes out her final season with the Hawkeyes in a game against Ohio State.
Clark entered her last regular-season game 17 points shy of Pete Maravich’s career record of 3,667 points. She passed the record, which has stood since 1970, with a free-throw toward the end of the first half.
Clark showed no reaction after the shot that took her to 3,668 points. In an interview at half-time, Clark said she wasn’t aware she’d broken the record in that moment.
“When they announced it and everybody screamed — that’s when I knew,” she said.
“It’s really crazy to think about,” she said postgame. “Honestly, if you would’ve told me that when my college career started, I would’ve laughed in your face, like ‘no you’re insane.’”
Clark’s path to the record for most points by a Division I player — men’s or women’s — has been a dominant one. She has put up an average of 32.2 points per game this season, scoring as many as 49 points in a single game last month against Michigan.
In her previous game four days ago, Clark passed Lynette Woodard’s 3,649-point women’s college record — set for Kansas from 1977-81, before the NCAA recognized the women’s sport.
“Listen, this is the greatest ticket on the planet right now,” Woodard said in an interview with ESPN ahead of tip-off on Sunday. “I’m going to enjoy this right now.”
Ticket prices for the record-setting game against Ohio State skyrocketed as people lined up to watch Clark make history on senior night. Ticketing platform Logitix reported an average ticket price of $598 for the game, for sales since Feb. 1.
Notable names, such as former WNBA player and four-time champion Maya Moore and rapper Travis Scott, were in the arena.
Clark shrieked as Moore surprised her before the game.
“I feel like I’m fangirling so hard,” Clark said.
“We got to come see CC handle business tonight,” Scott said. “Caitlin Clark, she’s one of the greatest humans of all time. So we got to come see just the good Iowa basketball — Gabby Marshall, Kate Martin — this is a good, good team out here.”
Even President Biden chimed in to give Clark her props.
“Congratulations to Caitlin Clark on making history as the NCAA all-time leading scorer,” he said on social media. “With 3,685 points and counting, you’ve made your school proud.”
Clark plans to enter the WNBA draft after this season.
“I think just being me is just the biggest thing,” she said. “I’ve just had fun and I’ve loved every single second I’ve been here. I’ve loved every single second I’ve gone to practice, played in the game.”
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