Caitlin Clark continued her assault on the NCAA record books on Tuesday night, passing Brittney Griner for fourth on the all-time women’s basketball scoring list in No. 2 Iowa’s 96-50 rout of Wisconsin.
Clark Pours in 41 Points to Surpass Griner
The junior guard tallied 41 points on an uber-efficient 14-of-21 shooting to elevate her career total to 3,255 points, moving her ahead of Griner’s 3,283 points scored from 2009-2013 at Baylor.
Clark got the record-setting bucket on a transition three-pointer in the second quarter. She fittingly broke the record from long range, as she passed Griner despite playing two fewer seasons thanks to her lethal stroke from the outside.
In typical fashion, Clark stuffed every column of the stat sheet on her record-breaking night, adding 11 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals with just 2 turnovers in 35 minutes of action. Her scoring output was her highest versus a Big Ten opponent this season.
The Des Moines native is now averaging 27.9 points, 8.3 assists and 7.9 rebounds on the year while shooting over 52 percent from the floor and 46 percent from three. After Tuesday’s performance, she seems poised to become the first player in NCAA women’s basketball history to lead the country in points and assists per game for three consecutive seasons.
Iowa Blows Out Badgers for 29th Straight Series Win
While Clark captured the headlines with her individual brilliance, the Hawkeyes put together arguably their most dominant showing of the season in the wire-to-wire 96-50 win over the Badgers.
The 46-point margin of victory was Iowa’s largest in a Big Ten game under head coach Lisa Bluder. The Hawkeyes have now won 15 consecutive games this season and 29 straight matchups versus Wisconsin dating back to 2011.
| Season | Result |
|---|---|
| 2023-24 | Iowa 96, Wisconsin 50 |
| 2022-23 | Iowa 110, Wisconsin 57 |
| 2021-22 | Iowa 83, Wisconsin 62 |
| 2020-21 | Iowa 85, Wisconsin 71 |
| 2019-20 | Iowa 104, Wisconsin 76 |
Bluder’s squad wasted no time imposing their will, racing out to a 17-4 lead midway through the first quarter. Iowa ended the opening period with a 30-11 advantage after shooting 73% from the field. Wisconsin never got within 20 points the rest of the way as the Hawkeyes’ lead ballooned to as many as 50 late in the fourth quarter.
Monika Czinano was highly efficient as Clark’s running mate, recording 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting to go along with 8 rebounds. Freshman Hannah Stuelke added 13 points. The Hawkeyes shot a scorching 62.5% from the field and 44% from three-point range while dishing out 27 assists compared to only 10 turnovers.
Meanwhile, the youthful Badgers struggled mightily to keep pace. Wisconsin shot just 30% overall and 4-of-21 (19%) from outside the arc. Sophomore Serah Williams led the way with 13 points but did so on 15 field goal attempts. No other Badgers scored in double-figures.
Iowa’s suffocating full-court press and transition offense overwhelmed Wisconsin from the opening tip. The Hawkeyes forced 21 turnovers which they converted into 36 points going the other way.
The Badgers simply had no answer for Clark and Iowa’s multi-pronged attack in suffering their fifth loss over their last six contests.
What This Means Going Forward
With conference play heating up, Iowa made an emphatic statement asserting themselves as a legitimate national title contender.
The Hawkeyes have been nearly unstoppable since suffering their lone defeat of the season to UConn back in November. They now sit at 15-1 overall and 5-0 in Big Ten play heading into a crucial matchup with No. 10 Ohio State on Saturday.
A win over the Buckeyes would further cement Iowa as the class of the conference. It would also mark Bluder’s 200th career conference victory.
For Wisconsin, it was the second lopsided loss to Iowa in nine days after falling by a 93-64 score in Iowa City on January 8th. The Badgers continue to take their lumps during a rebuilding year with a roster than ranks as one of the five youngest in Division 1.
At 5-12 overall and 1-5 in league play, Wisconsin has likely seen any slim NCAA Tournament hopes dashed barring an improbable run to end conference action. The development of young pieces like Williams, Maty Wilke and Krystyna Ellew remains head coach Marisa Moseley’s top priority down the stretch.
As for Clark and Iowa, there are surely more historical moments on the horizon.
If Clark maintains her astronomical scoring pace, she could realistically pass Jackie Stiles for third on the career scoring list in just a few short weeks. The overall NCAA record of 3,933 points held by Kelsey Plum may seem like a longshot for this season, but remains well within Clark’s sights should she play out her senior year in Iowa City.
For now, the legendary Hawkeye and her teammates have their focus squarely on trying to deliver Iowa its first Final Four appearance since 1993. But with Clark making history on what feels like a nightly basis these days, more top-five showdowns with UConn and national title upset bids over SEC elites South Carolina and Tennessee certainly aren’t out of the question down the road if everything continues trending in this direction.
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