It’s official: Nobody has scored more points in NCAA college basketball history than Caitlin Clark.
On Sunday afternoon, the Iowa superstar broke Pete Maravich’s long-standing record of 3,667 points to become the all-time leading scorer in men’s and women’s Division I basketball history.
Clark, who leads the nation in scoring at 32.2 points per game, entered Sunday’s contest vs. No. 2 Ohio State needing just 18 to pass Pistol Pete. It took her 20 minutes to meet the mark, as Clark topped Maravich’s record on a free throw to close out the second quarter.
Caitlin Clark breaks Pete Maravich’s NCAA basketball scoring record
“When they announced it and everybody screamed, that’s when I knew,” Clark said after breaking the record. “It’s pretty cool.”
It’s been a whirlwind final year for Clark, who announced Thursday that she would be turning pro after this season. She’s expected to be the WNBA’s No. 1 overall draft pick, which belongs to the Indiana Fever. The senior guard has spent the year smashing records while leading Iowa to a 25-4 record. Not only has she scored the most points in NCAA college basketball history, she’s also the first player ever – men’s or women’s – to compile 3,000 points, 1,000 assists and 850 rebounds in a career.
Last week, Clark set the women’s NCAA single-season record for 3-pointers with 156 and passed Lynette Woodard’s major college women’s mark of 3,649 points set during the AIAW era. She’s recorded 17 triple-doubles (six this season), which is only second behind Sabrina Ionescu’s 26.
Woodard had a front row seat Sunday to watch Clark break Pistol Pete’s scoring record.
“It’s just a great time for women’s basketball, and Caitlin is leading the way,” Woodard said. “As she was chipping away [at my record], I said ‘records are meant to be broken, but also, they are meant to be honored.’ Because of her, my records are being honored. She has gone beyond that now and has gone beyond Pete [Maravich]. Hopefully, I passed that baton for her to go ahead and burst through that ceiling. I’m so happy for her.”
Much has been written recently about Clark and Maravich, because everybody loves comparisons. However, Clark and Maravich, who starred at LSU from 1967-70, played in different eras. There was no such thing as the modern women’s game back then, and there wasn’t even a 3-point line or a shot clock.
What makes more sense when talking about the two legends is what they mean, and have meant, to their sport. Clark puts together highlight-feel moments every time she steps foot onto the court, and the same can be said for Maravich during his playing days.
While it’s unlikely Clark will catch Pearl Moore, who holds the AIAW small-school record with 4,061 points scored from 1975-79 at Francis Marion, that’s probably fine with Clark. Because now, she can focus on the most important thing – trying to win a national championship with her teammates.
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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