MINNEAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark scored 33 points and passed Lynette Woodard for the 17th triple-double of her career in No. 6 Iowa State’s 108-60 win over Minnesota on Wednesday night, leading the major college basketball world. set the record for women’s top scorer.
“Just playing free, overall it was a lot of fun tonight,” Clark said. Clark sank eight 3-pointers in 2023-24 for a total of 156, setting an NCAA single-season record.
Clark currently has 3,650 career points.
Woodard scored 3,649 points at Kansas from 1977 to 1981, before the NCAA sanctioned the sport.
Earlier this month, Clark broke Kelsey Plumb’s NCAA scoring record (3,527 points).
“Tonight is a real record night,” coach Lisa Bruder said.
Gabby Marshall scored 16 points to eclipse the 1,000-point mark for the Hawkeyes (25-4, 14-3), who were defeated earlier in the evening by No. 2 Ohio State, who beat the University of Michigan. They were eliminated from the Big Ten regular season championship race. .
As a team, Iowa made 22 of 39, the most 3-pointers in Minnesota history and the most points in Hawkeyes program history.
Clark was heavily involved in both filming and distribution. She had 12 assists and 10 rebounds.
“I love passing the ball and setting my teammates up for success, and I think more than anything that’s going to lead to a lot of success in March,” Clark said. “I can’t be the only one all the time.”
Amaya Battle had 18 points for the Gophers (15-13, 5-12) on a tough night trying to defend the reigning AP Player of the Year. The Gophers made 8 of 14 3-pointers, much to the delight of the Hawkeyes’ large crowd at Williams Arena, which had an official capacity of 14,625.
This was Clark and his crew’s 11th sold out game out of 11 road games this season, tying the most sold out home crowd in Gophers program history.
Clark left little doubt that he would reach Woodard’s record when he dribbled left off a screen and hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key just 13 seconds into the game.
She hit her first four 3-pointers, three from extra deep, and scored 15 points in the first 3:18 of the game.
The heat check took place in the middle of the first quarter, and a flick from the top bounced off the back rim, prompting a half-hearted cry of “overrated!” A chant from a few wise folks in the Minnesota student section.
Clark had five assists in the third quarter and missed several shooting opportunities in the second half as he prioritized finding teammates.
They needed just three points to get past Woodard at the start of the fourth quarter, but as time went on, backup players came off the bench and were ready to play.
“I was going to get her the record,” Bruder said.
With 4:16 left, Clark hit a 3-pointer from the side — one swing and a record. She was ejected after 30 seconds.
The largest crowd for a Gophers game so far this season was on Nov. 19 against Connecticut, which featured Minnesota star Paige Bueckers, with 10,869 fans in attendance.
This is the only time Gopher home attendance has exceeded 6,000 in 2023-2024.
