CLEVELAND, Ohio — Caitlin Clark was in danger of seeing her streak of games with a 3-pointer made end at 87 games on Friday night. Instead, after missing her first 11 3-point attempts, Clark made a one with 8:39 left in a 95-62 win over Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament to set yet another record in a history-making year for the Iowa star.
Clark passed Steph Curry and Darius McGhee to set the record for most 3s made in Division I men’s or women’s basketball in a single season. Curry made 162 for Davidson in the 2007-08 season and McGhee made 162 for Liberty in 2022-23.
Clark was 2 of 14 from deep on Friday and now has made 164 this season.
It was a struggle all night for Clark, hounded much of the game by Penn State’s Leilani Kapinus. She didn’t make her first field goal until 4:50 remaining in the second quarter, Iowa’s first points of the quarter after they scored 31 in the game’s opening 10 minutes.
Clark’s four first-quarter points, all from the free throw line, were part of an opening quarter that saw the Hawkeyes shoot as many free throws as Penn State had field goal attempts. Iowa shot 13 of 16 from the line in running out to a 31-13 first-quarter lead while the Lady Lions, who did not attempt a first-quarter free throw, shot 6 for 16 and turned the ball over seven times, leading to 15 Iowa points.
The Hawkeyes kept the Lady Lions at arm’s length most of the game even with Clark struggling to find her shot. Penn State got as close as nine points in the second quarter after Ashley Owusu cut the lead to 33-24 on a layup with 4:14 left, but Iowa scored 13 of the half’s final 15 points to lead 46-26 at the half.
Penn State again closed the gap to start the third, pulling within 54-41 with 5:25 left, but Iowa kept the Lady Lions at bay and carried a 65-48 lead into the final frame, even with Clark continuing to struggle with three points on 1 for 4 shooting.
Clark managed to end the first half tied for the team lead with 10 points, adding six rebounds and five assists despite making just one field goal and missing all six of her 3-point attempts.
Sydne Affolter, starting in place of Molly Davis, who was injured in Iowa’s regular season finale against Ohio State on Sunday, also had 10 first-half points.
In the end, Clark led Iowa with 24 points while Affolter added 18.
The Hawkeyes thrived from beyond the arc despite Clark’s struggles, making 15 3s, led by Gabbie Marshall’s and Taylor McCabe’s four.
Iowa will play the winner of Friday night’s quarterfinal between Michigan and Indiana in the semifinals on Saturday, 25 minutes after the conclusion of the semifinal matchup between eighth-seeded Maryland and fifth-seeded Nebraska, which tips off at 2 p.m. EST.
Caitlin Clark’s final stat line: 24 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 for 19 field goals, 2 for 14 3-pointers, 12 for 13 free throws.
Caitlin Clark passing ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich
Clark passed both Maravich and Detroit Mercy’s Antoine Davis on March 3 in a win over Ohio State to become major-college basketball’s all-time leading scorer. She now has 3,709 career points.
Upcoming Caitlin Clark schedule
Big Ten tournament semifinal: March 9
Big Ten championship game: March 10
Selection Sunday for NCAA Tournament: March 17
Women’s Final Four in Cleveland, April 5-7
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