Caitlin Clark, the top-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes, faced a tough challenge from the eighth-seeded West Virginia Mountaineers in the second round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament on Monday night in Iowa City. Despite facing a difficult opponent, Clark was able to set a new scoring record during her final collegiate home game.
Clark, who is WNBA-bound, scored 32 points in Iowa’s 64-54 win over West Virginia. As the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer, Clark’s performance brought her career points total to 3,830. In the fourth quarter, West Virginia tied the game after going on a 10-0 run. However, the Hawkeyes responded with a 12-2 run to secure their victory.
Clark also set a new NCAA Division I women’s record for most points scored in a single season with 1,113. This surpassed the previous record set by Washington’s Kelsey Plum in 2016-17. After hosting the first and second-round tournament games, Iowa’s NCAA tournament road now goes through Albany, New York. This means that Clark has played her final collegiate game in Iowa City.
After the game, Clark expressed gratitude and pride for her teammates and overall experience at Iowa. She credited their composure and resilience for their success during difficult moments in the game. The Hawkeyes will face fifth-seeded Colorado in the Sweet 16 round in Albany on Saturday in a rematch of last year’s Sweet Sixteen game.
