‘It’s unimaginable’: Caitlin Clark’s historic night and its impact on women’s sports

Women’s College Basketball

Updated Feb. 16, 2024 9:32 a.m. ET

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Caitlin Clark made history in perfect Caitlin Clark fashion.

Less than three minutes into Thursday night’s home game against Michigan – and only needing three points to do it after knocking down a cool five in the first 39 seconds on a layup and an open 3-pointer – Clark became the new Division I women’s basketball all-time leading scorer.

The 14,998 fans that sold out Carver-Hawkeye Arena rose to their feet in unison because they could feel it coming. They took out their phones, switched them to video mode, and when the clock struck 7:48, Clark pulled up just wide of the Hawkeyes logo and launched her shot.

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark breaks the NCAA women’s scoring record with a must-see 3-pointer vs. Michigan

When it went in – because of course her record-breaking heave would be from way out there – everybody lost their minds. Clark’s teammates, coaches, the raucous fans who paid a pretty penny to get in the door, even the Hawkeyes mascot were yelling and screaming and jumping up and down. Clark waved her outstretched arms up and down to rile the crowd up even more, as if that were possible.

“Y’all knew I was gonna shoot a logo 3 for the record, right?” Clark said after No. 4 Iowa beat Michigan, 106-89.

It certainly couldn’t have been scripted any better. Except for maybe the part right after when Clark had to get back on defense. She ribbed coach Lisa Bluder after the game about not calling a timeout earlier. But at the next timeout, Clark’s teammates ran onto the court and smothered her with hugs. She laughed and waved to her family whom she spotted in the crowd during pregame. And then she gave Bluder a big squeeze.

“I was determined to call that timeout and just let her enjoy it,” Bluder said. “We really didn’t talk in the timeout. [We] just all sat in our thoughts and I just wanted her to have some space to think about what she accomplished and enjoy the moment. Usually, that’s not me. I don’t burn timeouts for anything.”

Clark entered the game needing just eight points to pass Kelsey Plum’s record of 3,527 career points. Knowing Thursday was going to be the day, faithful Hawkeyes fans made the necessary arrangements and pilgrimages to be here. A father flew with his 10-year-old daughter from Birmingham, Alabama, and during a layover in Dallas, told fellow Iowa fans waiting to board their flight that he wanted to take his daughter “to see Caitlin Clark for her birthday.” There were others – one fan drove from San Antonio with a bouquet of roses he hoped to give Clark.

And everyone came prepared, especially kids who rushed down the stairs after the game with sharpies uncapped to make sure Clark autographed their poster or T-shirt or both before she left the court. Even Michigan understood the magnitude as the opponent hoping to pull off a road win. Bluder said the Wolverines gave Clark a gift after the game and each player wrote her a note.

While Clark didn’t intentionally try to break the record as quickly as possible, she said she knew during warmups that “it was going to be one of those nights” because her shots were falling. In Clark terminology, that means going off for 23 points in the first quarter, which included four 3s, the second of which will forever go down in history.

“As a shooter, you know the ball comes out of your hands a little better some nights than others,” Clark said. “And when you make a couple shots, that’s like a green light to get another one up and that’s exactly what it was.”

For weeks, Clark has tried not to talk about this inevitable moment. She was of the mind that whenever it happens, it happens. This past Sunday, after scoring 31 points in an 82-79 loss to unranked Nebraska, Clark acknowledged how special it would be once she actually did it. But then, she quickly turned the focus to her teammates. Talking about them is more natural to Clark than receiving praise for an individual accomplishment.

If the spotlight is on her, which it often is, Clark makes sure to also shine it on everybody else.

Even on Thursday, after the gold and silver confetti fell, and the Hawkeyes celebrated Clark’s monstrous achievement as if they had won the national championship, she was quick to joke that sophomore Hannah Stuelke would probably break her record some day. Stuelke dropped 47 points last Saturday in a win over Penn State, setting a program single-game scoring record. That is until Clark put up 49 points Thursday night, including nine 3s.

“She better break my record,” Clark said. “I’m perfectly fine with Hannah going out and scoring 50 next game.”

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark drops a school-record and career-high 49 points in the win vs. Michigan

Clark added 13 assists in her performance, dazzling fans with her flair for the creative pass. It was just a few days ago that she became the first player in Division I basketball history – men’s or women’s – to compile 3,000 points and 1,000 assists.

“This is getting downplayed with her points because her points are so magnificent,” Bluder said, “but I mean, her assists are incredible. And that’s what makes her such a special player.

“I’m telling you,” Bluder continued. “Every woman on that team loves her. They are not jealous of her. They know how hard she works for it. And they know what she brings to our team.”

Now, Clark has a grand total of 3,569 points with plenty of games to go. Iowa has four regular-season games before the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments begin, so it’s realistic that she could pass Pete Maravich’s all-time record of 3,667 points before the year is over.

Clark hopes that day doesn’t come until the Hawkeyes hoist the national championship trophy. Then, Iowa fans will have to pray she decides to return instead of leaving for the WNBA, where she is expected to be the No. 1 overall draft pick. Clark is a senior, but has one year of eligibility remaining due to the COVID season, and Hawkeye fans are well aware of this fact. So much so that they chanted, “one more year!” after the game.

“I paid them [to do that],” Bluder joked.

Becoming the new scoring leader has been what Bluder called a “good distraction.” But now that it’s happened, the Hawkeyes can focus on the rest of their season. But not without taking time to appreciate the significance of what this triumph means. Not just for the program, but for women’s basketball and the exposure it brings to women’s sports.

Bluder said Billie Jean King, one of her longtime idols, called Wednesday night just to say how excited she was for Clark to do this. Bluder never could have imagined this could happen way back when she was a kid growing up in a pre-Title IX era.

“It’s unimaginable,” Bluder said.

Not anymore.

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.

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