Caitlin Clark DROPS 35pts, BREAKS NCAA Scoring Record In #6 Iowa Win vs #2 Ohio State.
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Caitlin Clark breaks Pistol Pete’s scoring record as Iowa downs No. 2 Ohio State 93-83
It may not have been in the glamorous fashion that Caitlin Clark envisioned, but she and her Iowa Hawkeyes delivered on what a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena paid record prices to see: Clark surpassed Pete Maravich as the all-time leading scorer in men’s or women’s college basketball and Iowa bested No. 2 Ohio State 93-83.
Just two points from Maravich’s mark, Clark looked to claim the record in style, winding down the shot clock before stepping into a distant three just a few feet inside the mid-court stripe.
As such, Clark ultimately compromised with history, drilling a pair of free throws after a Cotie McMahon technical foul. She would continue a memorable afternoon to lead Iowa with 35 points, nine assists and six assists.
Achieving this history before halftime seemed like a pipe dream for the Hawkeye sensation through the opening 10 minutes, however, as Ohio State was effective in keeping Clark out of the score column.
She scored just six points on 2-7 shooting in the first quarter, but Clark’s incisive passing has highlighted her deadly supporting cast, as six different Hawkeyes scored in that stretch and a 8-13 start gave Iowa an early 25-10 lead.
Ohio State used some opportunistic defense to force 10 first-half turnovers slim that 15-point deficit as low as four, but McMahon’s technical gave Iowa four free-throws in the final second of the first half. The Hawkeyes converted them all and headed into halftime leading 49-38.
With tickets setting a women’s basketball record for median purchase price, Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena was filled hours before tip-off to celebrate College GameDay.
For the first time, however, a pensive air overtook the arena out of the locker room as Ohio State’s comeback evoked a certain sense of deja-vu. After Ohio State erased a double-digit deficit to beat the Hawkeyes in Columbus, Cotie McMahon established herself with a quick bucket after a quiet first half and Rebeka Mikulasikova drilled a right-wing triple, capping off a 7-0 spurt and bringing the Buckeyes within two, 48-46, just a few minutes into the second half.
Ultimately, an innocuous loose ball unraveled this spirited second half struggle.
Trailing 58-53, Ricki Harris was ruled to have displaced Hannah Stuelke, who starred alongside Clark with 23 points on 9-12 shooting, and her demonstrative reaction saw another technical foul whistled against Ohio State, its second in less than seven minutes.
Stuelke split her pair at the line, Caitlin Clark swished both of her chances and Kate Martin converted a layup for a quick 5-0 swing. Gabbie Marshall would later drill a three, her fourth of the game, growing the run to 10-1 and forcing an Ohio State timeout.
A 60-second pause did little to cool off Iowa’s sweltering offense, however, as Clark would produce a steal out of the timeout and find Martin for Iowa’s 10th three of the afternoon.
Martin’s triple gave Iowa a 71-54 lead and the Hawkeyes would maintain a three-possession throughout a comfortable fourth quarter, handing Ohio State its first loss of 2024.