Caitlin Clark Breaks Another NCAA Scoring Record – Vintage Display Erupts Home Crowd in Thriller vs West Virginia, Carries Iowa to Sweet 16

A record-breaking performance by the NCAA’s All-time leading scorer Caitlin Clark has taken Iowa to their second consecutive Sweet 16. A stellar performance that included 32 points and 8 rebounds resulted in a thrilling 64-54 victory for last year’s NCAA finalists. While West Virginia was able to hold Iowa to their lowest single-game points this season, they couldn’t stop them from advancing.

After being on level terms with just 3 minutes left, Iowa went on an 8-0 run that sealed the deal for them. Further, 2 free throws in the final minute helped Clark set the single-season record for most points. She went past Kelsey Plum’s tally of 1,109 points that set in the 2016-17 season, and ended the night with 1,113. As a result, the Hawkeyes will now face Colorado in the Sweet 16.

A successful outing for Caitlin Clark and Co. means they are one step closer to their dream. However, the victory didn’t come easy as they had numerous lapses during their game night.

The game began with Kyah Watson burying a three-point jumper, opening the scoring for the Mountaineers. Following this, an assist by JJ Quinerly resulted in a layup for the No.32, which got West Virginia in the lead by 5 points in the opening minute. After this, it was Sydney Affolter who put the first points on the board for the Hawkeyes, which was quickly followed by a three-point jumper from Clark that leveled the scores. Subsequently, West Virginia again got themselves ahead until Hannah Stuelke joined Caitlin Clark to get Iowa on an 11-2 run. Consequently, the home team got their first lead of the game and ended the opening quarter at 20-15.

The back-and-forth battle continued in the next quarter as well. After a couple of missed long-range chances, a layup by Affolter created further separation between the teams. However, the Mountaineers kept the lead in check through a jumper and a layup from JJ Quinerly and Tirzah Moore, respectively. Moreover, the visitors matched the beyond-the-arc prowess of the Hawkeyes by being 4 of 17 from the 3-point range at that time. Hence, the difference between both teams was just 2 points when the teams went to the locker room at half-time.

A big 3rd quarter helped Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes to scrape past West Virginia

The low-scoring nature of the game remained intact after half-time. Both teams kept missing their respective targets frequently. At this time, Caitlin Clark took matters into her hands and architected a double-digit lead for the Hawkeyes through a series of layups and three-pointers, where she even showed her frustrations at the proceedings.

However, West Virginia responded quickly and counterattacked by scoring the next 9 points. Still, Kate Martin kept Iowa’s edge in place. A layup combined with some free throws turned the marginal lead into an advantage as the third quarter ended with Iowa up 48-38.

It all came down to the penultimate quarter to determine the winner. Iowa maintained its lead as both teams scored 16 points each in the final quarter. The Hawkeyes came out on top 64-54 in a hard-fought battle. Hopefully, the team will address the concerns soon and show improvements in their next game against the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday.

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