Caitlin Clark and Iowa bounced back on Sunday afternoon with a comfortable 101-85 win over Illinois thanks to their superstar guard's 16th career triple-double. The result capped a "super special" day for Clark, who was honored with a decal on Iowa's court to mark the 3-pointer she made earlier this month to become the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women's basketball.
In the first quarter of Iowa's win over Michigan on Feb. 15, Clark drained a deep 3 from the left wing that moved her past Kelsey Plum for the scoring record. Prior to Sunday's matchup with Illinois, that spot on the floor was memorialized with a "Clark 22" marker.
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"I didn't really see it until I came out to warm up," Clark said after putting up 24 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in another all-around performance. "I knew, because Coach [Lisa] Bluder had told me about it. It's cool. Honestly, it seems a bit further back than where I actually shot it from, but that's where they claim I shot it from.
"It's super special; that's something I'll always remember and a shot I'll always remember. I'm thankful for this university and the athletic department that wanted to do that; they didn't have to do that."
Clark's 16 triple-doubles are second only to Sabrina Ionescu for the all-time NCAA mark in that category -- men or women. The Hawkeyes have never lost when Clark records a triple-double. Ionescu, who now stars for the New York Liberty, registered 26 triple-doubles during her collegiate career with Oregon.
On the scoring front, Clark is now up to 3,617 career points. Up next in the record books is Pete Maravich, who has the NCAA men's and women's scoring record with 3,667 points. Clark needs 51 points to surpass Maravich, and should do so before the end of the regular season.
Iowa plays next on Wednesday at Minnesota, before concluding Big Ten regular season play on Sunday at home versus Ohio State.
