Iowa vs. Northwestern women's basketball: Caitlin Clark becomes No. 2 on scoring list

Another Caitlin Clark game, and another sellout. Sound familiar?

The reigning national player of the year and Iowa’s star guard, Clark scored 35 and handed out 10 assists in a 110-74 Hawkeyes win at Northwestern on Wednesday night, where a sellout crowd of 7,039 got to see her tally the 54th double-double of her career.

Clark, who averages a nation-best 32.1 points per game, passed two women’s basketball greats Wednesday in her chase to break the NCAA women’s scoring record: Missouri State's Jackie Stiles (3,393 points) and Ohio State's Kelsey Mitchell (3,402). Clark is now No. 2 all-time with 3,424 career points. The record, set by former Washington All-American Kelsey Plum (3,527 points) in February 2017, is within reach.

Clark has a habit of selling out arenas wherever she plays. Iowa announced in August, months before the season started, that they’d sold out for every game and over the last few weeks, each of the Hawkeyes’ road games has sold out, too. Fans are paying hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to watch Clark in person. When Ohio State upset Iowa a couple weeks ago, many in the record crowd of 18,660 rushed the floor to celebrate the Buckeyes’ win.

Caitlin Clark becomes NCAA's No. 2 all-time leading scorer

Caitlin Clark is officially the second-best scorer in the history of NCAA women’s basketball. 

With a crafty layup with 4:58 left in the first half, Clark officially passed fellow Big Ten All-American Kelsey Mitchell, who starred at Ohio State from 2014-18, on the NCAA's all-time scoring list. (With this bucket, she became the leading scorer in Big Ten history.) Her layup followed a 3 late in the first quarter that moved her up to No. 3 all-time, passing Jackie Stiles. 

Iowa vs. Northwestern highlights

Iowa star Caitlin Clark moved into second on the NCAA women’s basketball career scoring list on Wednesday night, finishing with 35 points in the Hawkeyes’ 110-74 victory over Northwestern. It was her 13th game this season with at least 30 points.

Final: Iowa 110, Northwestern 74

And that's all, folks.

After dropping 35 points and dishing 11 assists, Clark told Peacock she credits Hawkeyes' coach Lisa Bluder for "letting me have the keys to the offense," and allowing her and her teammates to run an up-tempo style that's a whole lot of fun to watch.

Thirteen Hawkeyes got minutes Wednesday night, and 11 of them scored. Can Iowa top that when it travels to Maryland on Saturday?

4:25 4Q: Iowa 97, Northwestern 63

Clark isn’t the only one feeling it tonight. 

Iowa is 10-of-23 from long-distance tonight, and Clark has only hit three of those. Four Hawkeyes are in double figures so far: Clark has 35, Stuelke has 17, Kate Martin has 16 and Gabbie Marshall has 12. All of Marshall’s points have come from 3, as she’s connected on 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Martin is 2-of-2 from 3. 

Oh, and did we mention that Clark has also tallied 10 assists, giving her a double-double? That’s the 54th of her career. 

Northwestern was dealt a blow with 1:32 to play in the third quarter when Caileigh Walsh, a starting forward, fouled out. She scored nine points, grabbed two rebounds and blocked one shot but played just 17 minutes. That’s not the receipt for an upset. 

End of 3Q: Iowa 73, Northwestern 50

It’s been a rough season for Northwestern, which is 2-7 in Big Ten play, and on its way to its eighth loss.

But the Wildcats sold out Welsh Ryan Arena tonight, and there’s a chance that some little girl in the crowd will ask her parents if they can come back next game, too. That’s the power of Caitlin Clark, who is helping grow the game every time she steps on the floor. And can you imagine if she comes back for a fifth year? 

Tonight, Clark is on the way to yet another double-double, as she already has 27 points and eight assists. Stuelke, who has 17, has been one of her favorite targets this season. 

5:00 3Q: Iowa 62, Northwestern 42

This turned into a blowout quickly. 

Clark has 23, Stuelke has 12 and all but one of Iowa’s players has scored as the Hawkeyes stretch out their lead over Northwestern. 

It wasn’t that long ago the Wildcats were making noise in the women’s NCAA tournament but right now, Iowa is elite and the Hawkeyes are playing like it. Clark and the Hawkeyes are particularly tough in transition, and currently have an 18-5 edge in fast break points. 

There are positives for Northwestern though, including the fact that NU’s bench is outscoring Iowa 22-8. 

Halftime: Iowa 47, Northwestern 32

It’s just another double-digit lead for Iowa. 

You’ve got to hand it to Northwestern: The Wildcats made it tough for the first 12 minutes or so, hanging with Iowa and holding Clark to less than 10 points. But it was short-lived. 

Clark has 18 points, four assists and four rebounds at the break, helping Iowa to a 47-32 lead. Stuelke has been tough int he paint, scoring 12 (she’s 4-of-5 from the field) and grabbing four boards. Already, Iowa has 11 assists on 14 made baskets, and the Hawkeyes are shooting 45.2% from the field. Iowa has also outscored Northwestern 18-10 in the paint. 

Melannie Daley has 10 for Northwestern, but the Wildcats are going to need to help her out if they’re going to make this a game. 

End of 1Q: Iowa 24, Northwestern 15

It's amazing how quickly Iowa can pile on the points, huh?

The Hawkeyes suddenly have a nine-point lead — and Clark already has 10 points — as Northwestern has gone scoreless the last 2:34. Hannah Stuelke has 10, too.

2:04 1Q: Iowa 18, Northwestern 14

And there it is: Caitlin Clark has officially become the third-best scorer in women's NCAA history, passing former Missouri State star Jackie Stiles with a 3 — what else?.

It's still early, but with just nine more points tonight, Clark will move into No. 2 on the scoring list, passing former Ohio State star Kelsey Mitchell. Then, the only record left for her to top is that of Kelsey Plum, the all-time leading scorer on the women's side.

4:08 Q1: Iowa 10, Northwestern 9

No, Caitlin Clark hasn't broken another record ... yet.

Clark only has 3 points so far tonight (she's 1-for-3 from the field), and Northwestern is hanging with the No. 4 Hawkeyes, hitting a 3 of its own and grabbing an offensive board and putback to stay within striking distance. How long can the Wildcats keep this up?

Iowa vs. Northwestern: Time, TV for Hawkeyes-Wildcats 

The women's college basketball game between the No. 4 Iowa Hawkeyes and Northwestern Wildcats is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. in Evanston, Illinois. It will be broadcast on Peacock. 

Caitlin Clark stats 

Caitlin Clark has 3,389 career points (and counting!) after scoring 38 in Iowa’s 92-73 win against Nebraska on Saturday. 

Clark-mania: A look at how much Caitlin Clark fans travel and spend to watch the Iowa star 

By now you've probably heard that Iowa All-American Caitlin Clark, the reigning national player of the year, has a tendency to sell out any arena she plays in. But for a closer look at #Clarkonomics — as ESPN analyst Debbie Antonelli has termed it — USA TODAY reporter Jim Sergent worked up a graphic look at just how much Iowa fans will spend and how far they'll travel to see Clark in person. The numbers are telling, to say the least. 

Want to see Caitlin Clark? Buy season tickets

EVANSTON, Ill. — Greg Mittelman just wanted to see Caitlin Clark play. As a University of Iowa alum living in Chicago, his best chance was the NCAA runner-up Hawkeyes’ Jan. 31 game at Northwestern. He tried to snag single-game tickets. But when they sold out in October — just days after becoming available — he found another option.

“I am a season-ticket holder for Northwestern women’s basketball,” Mittelman said.

He has yet to attend a game, but the investment was more than worth it. He purchased four season tickets for $150 total. For Wednesday’s game, general-admission seats like Mittelman’s were listed at an average price of $230 on SeatGeek. Each.

“I tried to get my friends to do it, but they’re all like, ‘You’re an idiot,’” Mittelman said. “But I think I’m the smart guy now.”

Read more from King Jemison, a graduate student at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, here.

Is Caitlin Clark a senior?  

Yes, Clark is a senior … but she could come back next year and be a super senior if she wants.  

Though she’s projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, she could return to Iowa City next season. Because Clark was a freshman in the 2020-21 season, she has a COVID year (basically, that season didn’t count toward anyone’s eligibility).

How tall is Caitlin Clark?  

Clark, a senior, is 6-foot. Big guards have become more common in women’s basketball the last decade or so, and Clark’s size absolutely helps her because she’s able to see over defenders on the break and helps her get vertical separation when she goes up for a shot.  

Also of note: Clark, who’s pretty thin, worked hard last summer to put on eight pounds of muscle and that has made a huge difference in her game, particularly when she drives to the rim. 

What is Caitlin Clark’s highest-scoring game?  

Clark's highest-scoring game came when she hung 45 points on Ohio State on Jan. 21. Clark shot 12-for-25 that game, including 7-for-18 from 3. She also grabbed three rebounds and handed out seven assists in the 100-92 loss. 

Caitlin Clark game-by-game points this season 

Here's a breakdown of Clark's scoring this season for the Hawkeyes: 

• vs. Nebraska, 1/27/2024: 38 points 
• at Ohio State, 1/21/2024: 45 points (season-high) 
• vs. Wisconsin, 1/16/2024: 32 points 
• vs. Indiana, 1/13/2024: 30 points 
• at Purdue, 1/10/2024: 26 points 
• at Rutgers, 1/5/2024: 29 points 
• vs. Michigan State, 1/2/2024: 40 points 
• vs. Minnesota, 12/30/2023: 35 points 
• vs. Loyola Chicago, 12/21/2023: 35 points 
• vs. Cleveland State, 12/16/2023: 38 points 
• at Wisconsin, 12/10/2023: 28 points 
• vs. Iowa State, 12/6/2023: 35 points 
• vs. Bowling Green, 12/2/2023: 24 points 
• vs. Kansas State, 11/26/2023: 32 points 
• vs. Florida Gulf Coast, 11/25/2023: 21 points 
• vs. Purdue Fort Wayne, 11/24/2023: 29 points 
• vs. Drake, 11/19/2023: 35 points 
• vs. Kansas State, 11/16/2023: 24 points 
• at UNI, 11/12/2023: 24 points 
• vs. Virginia Tech, 11/9/2023: 44 points 
• vs. FDU, 11/6/2023: 28 points