Iowa’s Caitlin Clark reaches 3,000 career points.

Super star Caitlin Clark of Iowa led the No. 4 Hawkeyes to a 67-58 victory and a 9-1 record. Clark ended with 35 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. Having recorded at least 3,000 points, 750 rebounds, and 750 assists, she becomes the first player in Division I history, regardless of gender.

Clark stated that rather than focusing on 3,000 points, she was more concerned with the intense rivalry between the Cyclones and the fact that she had lost in her prior game at Hilton Coliseum in December 2021. With the exception of the milestone being at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Clark could not have orchestrated a more perfect event.

Fitting for No. 22, she entered the game 22 points short of reaching the 3,000-point mark. She was performing at Dowling Catholic High School, some 45 minutes away from her childhood home in West Des Moines, Iowa.

“Being able to do it here is remarkable,” Clark remarked. “Many of my family members are present. However, it was something analogous to the moment I surpassed the [Hawkeyes] scoring record. We don’t stop playing. In the timeout, we don’t rejoice. That isn’t the main point. I doubt that I would be content with scoring 3,000 points in a loss, even if we prevail.”

The national player of the year, Clark, only scored three points in the second quarter after scoring twelve in the first. At 6:11 remaining in the third quarter, she made her sixth 3-pointer of the game, taking her point total above 3,000.

For the first time, she scored every point her team scored in the quarter, helping Iowa to a 14-point lead. Of the Hawkeyes’ 33 points in the second half, she either scored or assisted on 26 of them.

Clark finished with at least 30 points for the 41st time in her career on Wednesday, increasing her lead over the previous 25 seasons for the most points of any Division I player.

Coach Lisa Bluder of Iowa stated, “It’s incredibly wonderful that Caitlin has surpassed the 3,000 milestone.” “That’s a really difficult task, and it’s incredible that she completed it so early in her senior year.”

In her 110th career game, the 6-foot senior guard scored 3,000 points, which was the second-fastest in NCAA Division I history (fastest scored by Patricia Hoskins of Mississippi Valley State from 1985 to 1989). With 25 seasons under his belt, Clark has made the most debuts of any player to reach 3,000.

Ashley Joens of Iowa State became the last player to score 3,000 points, accomplishing this feat at the Big 12 tournament in March. Clark’s AAU teammate Joens concluded her career with 3,060 points.

Lorri Bauman, a native of Des Moines, is another Iowan who made it to the top three list. She attended Drake University from 1980 to 1984 and scored 3,115 points.

Bill Fennelly of Iowa State, who is also from Iowa, coached both Joens and Clark.

“You’re talking about two of our state’s finest collegiate players ever,” Fennelly remarked. “I was getting a lot of questions about how I was going to stop Caitlin. “No. 1, you can’t,” I say. She will receive an enormous amount of points. However, it’s an excellent feature of which both programs are proud. People in our state ought to be extremely pleased with it.”

With 3,013 points in her career, Clark has the potential to surpass Kelsey Plum as the all-time leading scorer in the NCAA era (from 1981 to 1992) during this season. Along with Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell (Ohio State, 3,042 points) and Phoenix’s Brittney Griner (Baylor, 3,283), Plum is one of three active WNBA players to rank in the top five of the NCAA’s career scoring list. Plum plays for the two-time defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces. She recorded 3,527 points with Washington from 2013 to 2017.

Two players during the pre-NCAA era scored more points than Plum: Lynette Woodard of Kansas (1977–1981) and Pearl Moore of Francis Marion (1975–1979), both with 3,884.

Plum’s scoring prowess and her ability to take her team to the Final Four (in 2016), as Clark did the year before, have earned Clark admiration. While Maya Moore (3,036 points) was a member of the Minnesota Lynx, Clark was also a huge admirer of UConn; however, Clark was too young to remember Moore’s whole tenure at UConn, which ran from 2007 to 2011.

Clark remarked, “I’ve enjoyed watching all of these players.” “Even considering yourself in that category is absurd.”