Iowa's Caitlin Clark becomes the fastest player in NCAAW history to reach 2,000 points
Iowa junior Caitlin Clark is the fastest women’s basketball player in NCAA history to reach the 2,000-point mark.
She reached the milestone with a 20-point performance in her 75th game, a 92-54 win over Dartmouth on Wednesday. Clark also contributed 10 rebounds and 6 assists to the victory.
Clark now ties the Washington Mystics' Elena Delle Donne, who also reached 2,000 points in her 75th game. She did so while playing for Delaware in 2012.
Former Ohio State guard Kelsey Mitchell was also reported to hold the leading mark, reaching 2,000 points in 79 games.
2️⃣,0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐑 𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐒@CaitlinClark22 is the fastest NCAA WBB player to reach the 2,000 point mark, recording the milestone in 75 career games. #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/FIiQHHhkpS
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) December 21, 2022
Clark's benchmark score was a smooth three-pointer.
𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭, 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐤 🤩
The moment she netted No. 2,000! pic.twitter.com/y552HdtLak— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) December 21, 2022
The leading National Player of the Year contender is carrying momentum from a sophomore season in which she averaged a Division I-leading 27.0 points and 8.0 assists, plus 8.0 rebounds per game.
That year, she received unanimous first-team All-American honors, the Big Ten Player of the Year award and the Nancy Lieberman Award as the best point guard in women's college basketball.
Clark was listed as day-to-day after she twisted her ankle in a loss to Kansas State on Nov. 17. She was able to overcome that injury just three days later and went on to break the Big Ten record on Dec. 4 with her seventh career triple-double.
She and Notre Dame sophomore Olivia Miles are both favorites to break former Oregon star and New York Liberty No. 1 draft pick Sabrina Ionescu’s NCAA triple-double record.
As of Wednesday, Clark is third in Division I scoring, averaging 27.6 points per game and is tied with Miles for fifth-most assists at 7.2. She's averaging 7.5 rebounds in 12 games.
The bulk of Ionescu's 26 triple-doubles over 142 games, all of which she started, came in her junior and senior seasons.
Clark came into her junior season tied for fourth-most career triple-doubles with six.
She could also come close to the career points record held by former Washington star and now WNBA champion Kelsey Plum (3,527). Oklahoma's Courtney Paris holds the rebounds record (2,034) and Penn State's Suzie McConnell holds the assists mark (1,307 in 1986-87).
