EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Caitlin Clark cruised right by Jackie Stiles and Kelsey Mitchell. Next up is Kelsey Plum.
That’s the only name above Clark on the NCAA women’s basketball scoring list.
Clark collected 35 points, 10 assists and six rebounds in front of a sellout crowd at Welsh-Ryan Arena, leading No. 3 Iowa to a 110-74 victory over Northwestern on Wednesday night.
Three weeks after passing Brittney Griner, Clark took down two more big names in women’s hoops. She passed Stiles for third on the NCAA list when she made a 3-pointer with 2:04 left in the first quarter. She moved ahead of Ohio State’s Mitchell when she converted a layup with 4:58 left in the first half, making her the career scoring leader for the Big Ten.
Clark finished the night with 3,424 points, departing to a big ovation with 4:23 remaining. Plum, who starred at Washington from 2013-17, tops the women’s Division I scoring list with 3,527 points.
“I think the coolest thing is just the names that I get to be around,” Clark said. “Those are people that I grew up watching, especially Kelsey Plum, Brittney Griner, Kelsey Mitchell. Those are really, really great players.”
Cheered on by a crowd of 7,039 filled with Iowa colors and dotted with Clark shirts, the senior guard went 11 for 22 from the field and 10 for 10 at the free-throw line. It was her 13th game this season with at least 30 points.
But it was her passing that really stood out. She made a nice pass ahead to Hannah Stuelke for a fast-break layup in the second quarter, and she found Sydney Affolter for a backdoor layup in the third.
“This was one that was definitely circled on my calendar, just because I know the amount of Iowa fans in the Chicago area,” Clark said. “So I was super excited to come here. I love this gym.”
Stuelke had 17 points and nine rebounds for Iowa (20-2, 9-1 Big Ten), which earned its second straight win since a 100-92 overtime loss at Ohio State on Jan. 21. Kate Martin added 16 points, and Gabbie Marshall finished with 12 on 4-for-5 shooting from 3.
Northwestern (7-14, 2-8) lost its fifth straight game. Melannie Daley scored 19 points for the Wildcats, and Hailey Weaver finished with 13.
“I thought it was going to be a much better game than what it was,” said Paige Mott, who finished with 10 points. “We didn’t show up to play for 40 minutes.”
LOOKING BACK
Clark has been limited to single digits just once in her collegiate career, when she scored eight points in a 77-67 loss at Northwestern on Jan. 9, 2021.
BIG PICTURE
Iowa: Led by Clark, the Hawkeyes had 28 assists against just five turnovers. They also enjoyed a 42-30 rebounding advantage.
“I think we did a better job of rebounding in the second half,” coach Lisa Bluder said. “I love 28 assists on five turnovers. Really good numbers there.”
Northwestern: Daley was 8 for 17 from the field in almost 24 1/2 minutes, and coach Joe McKeown said she should be in the mix for the Big Ten’s Sixth Player of the Year award.
“We really like Mel’s pop coming off the bench,” he said.
UP NEXT
Iowa visits Maryland on Saturday night.
Northwestern hosts Wisconsin on Sunday.
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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
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