Caitlin Clark’s top-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes shook off a tough challenge from No. 8 seed West Virginia to win in the second round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament on Monday – while the 22-year-old senior set yet another scoring record in her final collegiate home game.
Clark, already the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer, notched 32 points in Iowa’s 64-54 win over the Mountaineers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, bringing her career points total to 3,830.
West Virginia went on a 10-0 run to tie Iowa in the fourth quarter, but the Hawkeyes closed the game with a 12-2 run of their own. Clark’s big night also gave her the NCAA Division I women’s record for most points scored in a single season with 1,113, breaking the previous record of 1,109 set by Washington’s Kelsey Plum during the 2016-17 season.
Though Iowa hosted its first- and second-round tournament games, its March Madness road next goes through Albany, New York – meaning the WNBA-bound Clark has played her last collegiate game in Iowa City. After Monday’s game, Clark said she was grateful.
“I’ve given everything to this program … and there’s a lot to be proud of. There’s a lot of highs, a lot of lows, and that’s what makes these moments so special. I’m just thankful, I’m grateful, and going to soak this in,” Clark said.
“I think we used our crowd, (and) we knew we gave up a 10-0 run to start the quarter, but this team was never flustered, and I think that just speaks to our experience and couldn’t be happier for this group.” Clark said after the game. “I mean we wanted to go out on a high note our five seniors, these two, It’s just really special. I’m just proud of them.”
The Hawkeyes will next face No. 5 Colorado in Albany on Saturday in the tournament’s Sweet 16 round, in a rematch of a Sweet 16 match from last year.
CNN’s Jason Hanna contributed to this report.
For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
