Caitlin Clark, Iowa upend Penn State: Clark needs 39 points for women's record
![Iowa's Caitlin Clark drives to the basket during the game against Penn State.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.usatoday.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/02/09/USAT/72531554007-ap-penn-st-iowa-basketball.jpg?width=660&height=441&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
IOWA CITY, Iowa â Caitlin Clark scored 27 points, putting her just 39 from the all-time NCAA womenâs record, but it was another Hawkeye who shined brightest Thursday night during Iowa's 111-93 win over Penn State.
Take a bow, Hannah Stuelke.
The sophomore post player, who had big shoes to fill with the graduation of Monika Czinano, was simply spectacular against the Nittany Lions, scoring a career-high 47 points on 17-of-20 shooting. Clark fed her all game, recording 15 assists (and a not-so-great 12 turnovers). It was the seventh time this season Iowa has scored 100 points or more.
"My teammates just did a really great job of getting me the ball inside," Stuelke said during a TV interview. "Our connection is amazing. I like playing with her. She sees the court really well and she always knows when Iâm open. Just playing our ball, not listening to the outside noise. Staying focused."
The stage is now set for Clark to top Kelsey Plumâs record of 3,527 points, set in 2017, if she wants it, on Super Bowl Sunday against Nebraska. But the Hawkeyes will be on the road, so maybe sheâll hold off until Feb. 15, when Iowa returns home to host Michigan. Clark has 3,489.
One thingâs for sure: If Clark and Stuelke are unstoppable, Iowa could very well get all the way back to the title game.
"Thatâs what everybody has been waiting for," Clark said of Stuelke's performance. "Sheâs had glimpses of being really, really great like that. Iâm just proud of her.
"To come out here and play like that, thatâs exactly what we needed. I think she dominated. To see her confidence grow like that, to see her smile, as a teamâmate, youâre just really happy.
"I just said thatâs what youâre capable of every single game. I want her to know that, I want her to know how much I believe in her." â Lindsay Schnell and Nancy Armour
Caitlin Clark, Iowa vs. Penn State highlights
How close is Caitlin Clark to NCAA women's scoring record?
Caitlin Clark is 39 points away from breaking Kelsey Plum's NCAA scoring record following her 27-point outing against Penn State.
Iowa could have another record-breaker on its hands
Stuelke, who earlier in the game established a career high, is flirting with Iowaâs single-game scoring record. Thatâs 48 points, set by Megan Gustafson against Minnesota on March 2, 2018.
As it is, Stuelkeâs 47 points on 17-of-20 shooting make her the third Big Ten player to go over 40 this season. â Nancy Armour
4Q, 4:53: Iowa 91, Penn State 81
This is kind of a weird game. The Hawkeyes are only up 10 according to the scoreboard, but it feels like theyâre in total control â especially now that Stuelke has subbed back in. The super sophomore has 38 â can she be the second player on Iowaâs roster to have a 40-point game this season? â Lindsay Schnell
4Q, 7:39: Iowa 85, Penn State 72
Itâs getting chippy in here.
According to some people watching the Big Ten broadcast of this game, some not-so-friendly words were exchanged between Clark and Penn Stateâs Ashley Owusu. As youâll likely remember from the 2023 Final Four, Clark has a habit of talking trash. But to her credit, she can both take it and dish it out.
Clark has 23 points and a season-high 13 assists. She also has 12 turnovers (statistically, thatâs still a decent ratio).
Weâve got quite a bit of time left though â what are the odds someone gets a technical before the game is over? â Lindsay Schnell
End of 3Q: Iowa 79, Penn State 63
Itâs crazy how quickly Iowa games can get out of hand, but thatâs a testament to Clark running the show â and how fast she runs it. Clark loves to push pace â and coach Lisa Bluder gives her the freedom to do so â which means the Hawkeyes often score in bunches.
Something to keep an eye on as we head to the fourth quarter: Clark has 23 points (she scored just two points during the third period) and 12 assists, tying her season high. With 10 minutes left to play, does she set a new season high? â Lindsay Schnell
3Q, 3:10: Iowa 72, Penn State 51
And there it is, the 16th triple-double of Clarkâs career ⊠well, kind of.
With her 10th turnover of the game, Clark has technically recorded a triple double, to go with her 21 points and 10 assists. Iâm guessing this isnât the kind she wants publicity for, but we are here to cover everything.
Also, Clark turning the ball over 10 times speaks to her brilliance â every other player throwing the ball away that much would be yanked and find a seat on the bench. But Bluder and Clarkâs teammates understand that she is the epitome of high risk, high reward, and they keep her on the floor because they know she can take over at any time. She can also continue to deliver them perfect passes, and no one wants that to go away. â Lindsay Schnell
'Don't be a Sheryl': Hawkeyes fans rock T-shirts in support of Clark
Sheryl Swoopes might want to stay away from Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the foreseeable future.
Some fans at Tuesday nightâs game wore T-shirts with âDonât be a Sherylâ on the front. That was in reference to the âmisinformationâ Swoopesâ spouted about Caitlin Clark during an appearance on the YouTube show co-hosted by former NBA player Gilbert Arenas.
Her comments went viral, for their obvious pettiness and even more obvious errors.
Clark is adored by Iowa fans, so itâs no surprise theyâd come to her defense. â Nancy Armour
Iowa's Hannah Stuelke sets career high
Iowa is more than Clark.
Sophomore Hannah Stuelke had already set a career high midway through the third quarter with 24 points. The junior was on fire, shooting 10-of-12 from the floor. The last time Clark was outscored by a teammate was vs. Drake on Nov. 13, 2022, when Monika Czinano bested her, 33-28.
Stuelkeâs previous career high was 22 points, against Fairleigh Dickinson in the season opener. â Nancy Armour
3Q, 6:19: Iowa 68, Penn State 49
Itâs nice to have Clark on your team. Itâs also nice to have Stuelke in the paint.
A career-high from Stuelke is a huge part of why Iowa has created separation in this game. Itâs more than just her 24 points though â she also has six rebounds and has owned the paint. Her development this season, after the Hawkeyes bid goodbye to Czinano, has been more than impressive. And if Iowa is going to make another run to the Final Four, Stuelkeâs play on the block will be critical. â Lindsay Schnell
Iowa coach praises Clark's ⊠passing? Oh, yes
While the rest of the country is fixated on how many points Clark has, Bluder is just as happy with another of Clarkâs stats.
Clark had seven assists in the first half, dealing with Penn Stateâs defensive pressure by feeding Stuelke. Stuelke had 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting.
âI love it when those two get going together,â Bluder said at halftime. âHer passing is so good and sheâs able to find that open person on the court.â â Nancy Armour
Halftime: Iowa 55, Penn State 44
This game has become one in which everything happens in threes â as in, Penn State hits three field goals in a row, and then Iowa hits three field goals in a row.
Iowaâs three in a row with a few minutes left in the first half are why the Hawkeyes lead by 11 at the break. That, plus their 60% (!) shooting percentage.
Also of note: Iowa has taken 16 free throws; Penn State has only been to the line twice. Clark does have nine turnovers, tying a career high â and Penn State has scored 11 points off 11 turnovers â but her 21 points mostly make up for it. That, plus she has seven assists and four rebounds.
One of the most remarkable things about Clarkâs game is her ability to flip the switch. Midway through the first half, she was playing pretty poorly. Now she looks like the player of the year (again).
Penn Stateâs best stat so far is that the Nittany Lionsâ bench is outscoring Iowa, 22-6. Thatâs great â but itâs not great that their starters have only accounted for 22 points. â Lindsay Schnell
Clark treated for cut on right hand
TV analyst Autumn Johnson said Iowa trainers are monitoring a cut on Clark's right hand. They showed a shot of Clark holding her right hand above her head, wrapped in a towel. But right after they mentioned that, she made a pair of free throws. â Nancy Armour
2Q, 4:06: Iowa 39, Penn State 38
Clark is inching closer to a double-double, but not the kind you want. Clark already has 11 points, including three 3s, but sheâs also got seven turnovers. Not ideal.
At the other end, Penn State has hit all three of its past three shot attempts to pull within one. It doesnât look like Ciezki will be back, but maybe the Nittany Lions can hang around without her.
The most crucial thing for Iowa these last four minutes is to make sure Clark doesnât pick up her third foul. â Lindsay Schnell
Penn State coach on her team guarding Caitlin Clark: 'They're not scared'
Carolyn Kieger is happy with the way her Penn State team contained Clark in the first quarter. Penn State has been tough on Clark throughout her career, and this game was no different. She had six points on 2-of-6 shooting but also picked up two fouls in the first 10 minutes and had five turnovers.
âTheyâre not scared. They took it right at her,â Kieger said before the second quarter began. âI like where weâre at right now.â â Nancy Armour
2Q, 5:49: Iowa 37, Penn State 30
Quick timeout while Penn State deals with an injury to Shay Ciezki, who rolled her ankle on the last play. She scored six quick points for Penn State early, and PSU will need her to pull off an upset â let alone stop this little 14-3 run Iowa has been on the last 3:21. Ciezki had to be helped off the court and later helped to the locker room, clearly in pain. â Lindsay Schnell
End of 1Q: Penn State 25, Iowa 23
Since I commented on Penn Stateâs long-distance shooting, the Nittany Lions have hit four 3s. Theyâve also scored seven points off six Iowa turnovers, including a layup to end the first quarter. Seven Penn State players have already scored. Meanwhile, Iowaâs Hannah Stuelke leads all scorers with 10 points.
If you want to beat Clark & Co., hitting 3s is necessary. After one period, Penn State is 5-of-14.
Also: Clark is back to start the second quarter. â Lindsay Schnell
1Q, 1:57: Caitlin Clark's second foul
Another interesting development: Clark was just whistled for her second foul (much to the displeasure of Iowa's crowd.) Clark was furious as she headed to the bench -- she'll probably have to sit till midway through the second -- and jawing at the officials. It'll be interesting to see how much talking they put up with from her. That foul was also Clark's fifth turnover. â Lindsay Schnell
'Clark tracker' part of Big Ten broadcast
It wasnât long ago womenâs sports struggled to get space on television. Now broadcasters are pulling out all the stops for Clark.
The Big Ten Network had a âClark trackerâ in the upper left corner of the screen during the game, letting viewers know how many points Clark needs to break the NCAA womenâs scoring record held by Plum. It even had a sponsor, State Farm, which has a deal with Clark and has featured her prominently in commercials the last few months. â Nancy Armour
1Q, 4:38: Iowa 11, Penn State 9
Well thatâs an interesting start ⊠Clark currently has more turnovers (four) than points (three).
Talk about a trend you donât see every day â something that I doubt continues.
Penn State is good though, and wonât be intimidated. The unranked Nittany Lons are smart, athletic and scrappy â and they gave USC a great game early this season. They had to deal with another prolific scorer that game in JuJu Watkins, so theyâre likely not starstruck by Clark.
However, they probably canât beat the No. 2 Hawkeyes if they continue to shoot 13% (1-for-8) from the 3-point line. â Lindsay Schnell
Caitlin Clark honored for becoming Big Tenâs all-time leading scorer
The accolades just keep coming for Clark.
In Iowaâs last game at Northwestern last week, the senior guard became the Big Tenâs leading scorer when she passed former Ohio State All-American Kelsey Mitchell with a nifty left-handed layup vs. the Wildcats. Tonight at Carver-Hawkeye Arena â the first time the Hawkeyes have been home in three games â Clark was presented with a commemorative basketball as the sold out crowd roared its approval.
Also of note tonight: The Hawkeyes are celebrating national Girls and Womenâs Sports Day. As they just said before introductions, âThereâs no better time to be a female athlete than right here, right now at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.â
Itâs tough to argue with that. â Lindsay Schnell
Who is the all-time leading scorer in women's college basketball?
Will Caitlin Clark break the scoring record Thursday night? It seems unlikely, but itâs all anyone is talking about as they stream into the arena and find their seats. Everyone here knows exactly how far away she is (66 points) from becoming the NCAAâs all-time leading scorer, and most know passing Kelsey Plum still wonât make her the all time leader in womenâs college basketball.That honor belongs to Lynette Woodard, who played at Kansas from 1977-81 and scored 3,649 points over her career. That was back before the NCAA included womenâs sports; womenâs college basketball then belonged to the AIWA. Thatâs why, when people talk about Clark chasing Plum, they always distinguish it as the NCAA record.Woodard recently told the Wall Street Journal of Clarkâs accomplishments, âI think sheâs an awesome player, and what sheâs doing is great for the game. Got interest at an all-time high, and thatâs what is supposed to happen. Bring it on.âFor more on Woodardâs accomplishments, read the WSJ story here. â Lindsay Schnell
Caitlin Clark takes the floor
No surprise here, but Caitlin Clark is the first player on the floor, casually shooting around with about 85 minutes until tip. Fans are streaming in â many of them in Clark jerseys â and many are walking over to watch her warm up.
How to watch Caitlin Clark, Iowa vs. Penn State
Iowa vs. Penn State will begin at 9 p.m. ET and be broadcast on the Big Ten Network, with Kylen Mills and Christy Winters-Scott serving as the announcers. The game can also be found on Fubo and streamed on Fox Sports Live. â Scooby Axson
Sheryl Swoopes engages in old-fashioned player hatin'
Sheryl Swoopesâ fact-free broadside against Iowa star Caitlin Clark that went viral on social media last weekend is an undeniably bad look for the 52-year-old legend.
Appearing as a guest on the YouTube show co-hosted by former NBA player Gilbert Arenas, Swoopes made the following assertions:
- That Clark is a 25-year-old beating up on young kids. (Sheâs 22.)
- That Clark takes âabout 40 shots a game.â (Sheâs at 22.3 field goal attempts for the season and 19.7 for her career, while Swoopes averaged 24.9 in two years at Texas Tech.)
- That the all-time Division I scoring record Clark is about to break isnât legitimate because she has a fifth year of eligibility due to COVID-19. (Clark will break the record in less than four.)
Wrong.
Wrong.
Wrong.
But rather than pile on Swoopes, who briefly acknowledged on social media that she was mistaken about the scoring record but didnât walk back the rest of it, let's look at this a different way.
Read more of Dan Wolkenâs columnhere.
Want to see Caitlin Clark? Buy season tickets
EVANSTON, Ill. â Greg Mittelman just wanted to see Caitlin Clark play. As a University of Iowa alum living in Chicago, his best chance was the NCAA runner-up Hawkeyesâ Jan. 31 game at Northwestern. He tried to snag single-game tickets. But when they sold out in October â just days after becoming available â he found another option.
âI am a season-ticket holder for Northwestern womenâs basketball,â Mittelman said.
He has yet to attend a game, but the investment was more than worth it. He purchased four season tickets for $150 total. For Wednesdayâs game, general-admission seats like Mittelmanâs were listed at an average price of $230 on SeatGeek. Each.
âI tried to get my friends to do it, but theyâre all like, âYouâre an idiot,â â Mittelman said. âBut I think Iâm the smart guy now.â
Read more from King Jemison, a graduate student at Northwestern Universityâs Medill School of Journalism,here.See how far fans are traveling to see Clarkhere.
Three reasons Caitlin Clark is so relatable
COLLEGE PARK, Md. â Maybe you have to witness the Caitlin Clark Experience in person to truly comprehend it.
From floor level, you see it all closer: the behind-the-back dribbles, the flying rebounds and coast-to-coast layups before the other team can get settled on defense. You see the twisting, slashing moves to the basket and the 3-pointers that go down after you think a defender has her smothered.
You see the smile, too. It can come in the huddle with teammates, or sitting at the podium with one of them after a game, or looking back at you when you ask her a question.
"I came to Iowa with huge aspirations and now Iâm getting to play in front of 15,000-plus every single night and thatâs so cool," Clark said Saturday night after scoring 38 points to help beat Maryland and get within 66 points of the NCAA womenâs scoring record. "Those are moments that you really can only dream of and now Iâm living it every single day of my life and thatâs really special."
Read more of Stephen Borelliâs columnhere.
Caitlin Clark becomes NCAA's No. 2 all-time leading scorer
Caitlin Clark is officially the second-best scorer in the history of NCAA womenâs basketball.
With a crafty layup with 4:58 left in the first half against Northwestern on Feb. 1, Clark officially passed fellow Big Ten All-American Kelsey Mitchell, who starred at Ohio State from 2014-18, on the NCAA's all-time scoring list. (With this bucket, she became the leading scorer in Big Ten history.) Her layup followed a 3 late in the first quarter that moved her up to No. 3 all-time, passing Jackie Stiles.
Caitlin Clark game-by-game points this season
Here's a breakdown of Clark's scoring this season for the Hawkeyes:
- at Maryland, 2/3/2024: 38 points
- at Northwestern, 1/31/2024: 35 points
- vs. Nebraska, 1/27/2024: 38 points
- at Ohio State, 1/21/2024: 45 points (season-high)
- vs. Wisconsin, 1/16/2024: 32 points
- vs. Indiana, 1/13/2024: 30 points
- at Purdue, 1/10/2024: 26 points
- at Rutgers, 1/5/2024: 29 points
- vs. Michigan State, 1/2/2024: 40 points
- vs. Minnesota, 12/30/2023: 35 points
- vs. Loyola Chicago, 12/21/2023: 35 points
- vs. Cleveland State, 12/16/2023: 38 points
- at Wisconsin, 12/10/2023: 28 points
- vs. Iowa State, 12/6/2023: 35 points
- vs. Bowling Green, 12/2/2023: 24 points
- vs. Kansas State, 11/26/2023: 32 points
- vs. Florida Gulf Coast, 11/25/2023: 21 points
- vs. Purdue Fort Wayne, 11/24/2023: 29 points
- vs. Drake, 11/19/2023: 35 points
- vs. Kansas State, 11/16/2023: 24 points
- at UNI, 11/12/2023: 24 points
- vs. Virginia Tech, 11/9/2023: 44 points
- vs. FDU, 11/6/2023: 28 points
What is Caitlin Clark's highest-scoring game?
Clark's highest-scoring game came when she hung 45 points on Ohio State on Jan. 21. Clark shot 12-for-25, including 7-for-18 from 3. She also grabbed three rebounds and handed out seven assists in the 100-92 loss. See how many other college players have scored more than 3,000 pointshere.
Caitlin Clark's remaining games
Clark and Iowa will be on the road on Super Bowl Sunday against Nebraska. Tip is set for 1 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on Fox.
Iowa's schedule the rest of the season:
- Sunday, Feb. 11 at Nebraska, 1 p.m. ET on Fox
- Thursday, Feb. 15 vs. Michigan, 8 p.m. ET on Peacock
- Thursday, Feb. 22 at Indiana, 8 p.m. ET on Peacock
- Sunday, Feb. 25 vs. Illinois, 1 p.m. ET on FS1
- Wednesday, Feb. 28 at Minnesota, 9 p.m. ET on Peacock
- Sunday, March 3 vs. Ohio State, 1 p.m. on Fox
- March 6-10, Big Ten Tournament in Minneapolis, times and TV vary
How tall is Caitlin Clark?
Clark is 6-foot. Big guards have become more common in womenâs basketball the last decade or so, and Clarkâs size absolutely helps her because sheâs able to see over defenders on the break and get vertical separation when she goes up for a shot.
Also of note: Clark worked hard last summer to put on eight pounds of muscle and that has made a huge difference in her game, particularly when she drives to the rim.
Is Caitlin Clark a senior?
Yes ⊠but she could come back next year and be a super senior if she wants. Though sheâs projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, she could return to Iowa City next season. Because Clark was a freshman in the 2020-21 season, she has a COVID year (basically, that season didnât count toward anyoneâs eligibility).