Caitlin Clark’s ability to score points knows no bounds, as she showed throughout the NCAA Tournament — even in Iowa’s 104-85 loss to LSU in Sunday’s championship game.
In the defeat, Clark put up a game-high 30 points and a team-high eight assists despite logging four personal fouls. She also knocked down a title game-record eight 3-pointers and broke the record for the most points scored in a single NCAA Tournament, women’s or men’s.
Not only did the Hawkeyes junior turn in astounding performance after astounding performance, but she seemed to get better as the tournament progressed. She put up 26 points against Southeast Louisiana, followed by a tournament-low 22 points in the second round. After that, she hit 31-41-41-30 to finish off the tournament for a record total of 191 points.
She also dished out 60 assists, the record for the women’s tournament and one shy of the overall mark of 61 set by UNLV’s Mark Wade in 1987. With her points and assists, she had a hand in 63% of Iowa’s points in the tournament run.
In total, Clark set four tournament records:
- Most 3-pointers in the NCAA women’s tournament final with eight
- Most 3-pointers in a single NCAA women’s tournament with 32
- Most points scored in a single NCAA tournament with 191
As for what Clark will take away from this historic run, she hopes she left a legacy behind for those that come after her, she said after Sunday’s loss.
"I want my legacy to be the impact that I can have on young kids and the people in the state of Iowa and I hope I brought them a lot of joy this season."
— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) April 2, 2023
- Caitlin Clark on her legacy
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“I think the biggest thing is it’s really, really special. I don’t think it’s going to set in for me for quite some time,” she said. “I want my legacy to be the impact that I can have on young kids and the people in the state of Iowa, and I hope I brought them a lot of joy this season. I hope this team brought them a lot of joy. I understand we came up one win short, but I think we have a lot to be proud of and a lot to celebrate.
“I was just that young girl, so all you have to do is dream, and you can be in moments like this.”
Thank you to all who have supported us on this magical run… I am lucky to wear Iowa across my chest and represent our state🤍 I love these girls to death and could not be more proud of all we accomplished this szn🖤🖤 Go hawks always🙏🏻🐤
— Caitlin Clark (@CaitlinClark22) April 3, 2023