It is only a matter of time for Caitlin Clark to set the all-time NCAA women’s basketball scoring record, but she wasn’t able to get all the way there on Super Bowl Sunday.
The Iowa senior netted 31 points through three quarters, but she was held scoreless in the fourth as the No. 2 Hawkeyes coughed up a 14-point lead in a shocking 82-79 loss Sunday at Nebraska.
“Just didn’t execute down the stretch. It stinks,” Clark said.
Clark remains eight points shy of eclipsing the mark of 3,527 points set by Washington’s Kelsey Plum in 2017.
Clark, who entered averaging a career-best and NCAA-leading 32.2 points per game this season, began the day needing 39 points to surpass Plum, an All-Star guard with the two-time WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces and the wife of Giants tight end Darren Waller.
Clark had 31 points as Iowa led 69-55 through three quarters and appeared poised to set the record, but she missed all six of her field-goal attempts of the fourth, including a potential game-tying 3-pointer with eight seconds remaining, as Nebraska outscored Iowa 27-10 over the final 10 minutes.
That included Jaz Shelley’s 3-pointer with 30 seconds left to give Nebraska its first lead, and she made all four of her free throws to close out the Hawkeyes.
“On a day like today, I’m just so proud to be the head coach at Nebraska and proud of this team and the way they showed great response throughout the fourth quarter and found a way to win,” Cornhuskers coach Amy Williams said.
Shelley also hit two 3-pointers late in the second quarter to keep Nebraska in the game.
“Everybody’s going to give us their best shot. If you don’t know that at this point of the season …,” Clark said.
Clark now will get the opportunity to set the record in a home game against Michigan on Thursday.