In a Jan. 31 win for Iowa over Northwestern, Caitlin Clark scored 35 points to soar past Missouri State’s Jackie Stiles and Ohio State’s Kelsey Mitchell on the all-time scoring list for Division I women’s college basketball.
Now, just one player’s point total stands between the superstar guard and history: Kelsey Plum’s 3,527 points that she scored while playing for the Washington Huskies.
After beating Northwestern 110-74, Clark now has 3,424 points for her career. By passing Mitchell, she became the Big Ten’s all-time leading scorer, and Plum is now within real reach.
Make that NO. 2 ALL-TIME! @CaitlinClark22 on the grind! 💥 pic.twitter.com/FmL7fcqsKV
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 1, 2024
So, when will Clark break the record? We tried to do the math.
Clark currently trails Plum by 103 points, meaning she would own the record after scoring 104.
This season, Clark is averaging 32.1 points per game, which leads the nation.
Iowa’s next five games are:
- Feb. 3 – at Maryland
- Feb. 8 – vs. Penn State
- Feb. 11 – at Nebraska
- Feb. 15 – vs. Michigan
- Feb. 22 – at Indiana
If Clark maintains her current scoring pace over these next few games, she should enter the Feb. 15 home game against Michigan about eight points shy of the record.
But you might be wondering, what if Clark goes into a scoring slump? Sure, let’s entertain that unlikely scenario.
Over the past two seasons, when playing at least 30 minutes, the lowest amount of points Clark has scored in a single game is 18 — at Maryland last season. So, in an unlikely scenario where Clark averages just 18 points per game over her next five games, she would enter the Feb. 25 home game against Illinois 14 points short of the record.
You might also be wondering, what if Clark gets really hot from 3-point land over the next few games. How early could she break it?
Clark has scored 40 points or more in a single game 11 times in her career, including three games this season. In those 11 games, she averages 42.9 points per game.
If Clark goes on a tear with the record in-sight and scores about 42.9 points at Maryland and against Penn State, she will enter the Feb. 11 game at Nebraska about 18 points shy of the record.
So, to recap: Clark will most likely break the Division I women’s basketball scoring record on Feb. 15 at home against Michigan, but she could break it as early as Feb. 11 at Nebraska, or as late as Feb. 25 against Illinois.
