Caitlin Clark had yet another record-breaking night on Wednesday.
With 33 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in Iowa’s blowout win of Minnesota, Clark recorded her second-straight and 17th triple-double – as well as her sixth 30-point triple-double.
She also surpassed Lynette Woodard for the most points in women’s college basketball.
“I think it just speaks to the foundation that these players have laid for us,” Clark said of past stars such as Woodard. “To have opportunities, to be able to play in environments like this, in front of crowds like this.
“I wouldn’t have the opportunity to be able to do what I’m doing every single night if it wasn’t for people like her. There are so many great players across the board. I’m just really thankful and grateful to have those people that have come before me. And yeah, it’s super special. Obviously, she’s one of the best all-time.”
For Iowa coach Lisa Bluder – who played at Northern Iowa in the early 1980s – it marked Clark setting the “real record,” despite being celebrated for passing Kelsey Plum for the NCAA women’s record on Feb. 15. Woodard’s mark of 3,649 points came before the NCAA governed women’s college basketball.
“For some reason, the NCAA doesn’t want to recognize the basketball that was played prior to 1982, and that’s wrong,” Bluder said. “We played basketball back then. They just don’t want to recognize it. That hurts the rest of us that were playing at that time. There’s no reason that shouldn’t be the true record.
“At a school like Iowa, which is so rich in AIAW history, I just want to make sure we acknowledge Lynette’s accomplishments in the game of basketball.”
For Woodard, who would one day like to meet Clark, the moment has brought recognition.
“She has brought so much attention, so much excitement to the game,” Woodard told ESPN. “But it’s also tapped into something that everybody should know about the past. I think it’s beautiful. It’s a resurrection for the AIAW. It’s not forgotten.”
Clark also hit her 156th 3-pointer on the season, breaking the single-season NCAA women’s record and becoming the first Big Ten women’s basketball player to record more than 500 3-pointers in a career. As a team, Iowa set a Big Ten single-game record with 22 3-pointers.
Clark’s point total now sits at 3,667. The Iowa star is just 18 points away from the all-time NCAA scoring record set by LSU’s Pete Maravich from 1967-70. But Clark insists she is more focused on Ohio State, who the Hawkeyes lost to earlier in the season.
“My first goal is focusing on Ohio State,” she said, “but it’s super special just to be in the same realm as a lot of these really talented players that have done a lot for just basketball in general.”
