Caitlin Clark joined the WNBA on the back of a record-breaking career at Iowa, where she became the NCAA DI women’s career scoring leader, overtaking Kelsey Plum. Clark then followed the feat by surpassing Lynette Woodard to become the all-time leader among major college players.
Clark’s record-breaking game came against Minnesota, where she put up 33 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, leading Iowa to a dominant 108-60 win. However, one of the teams that delayed the historic achievement was Iowa’s Big Ten rival Nebraska.
With Clark 39 points away from breaking the record at the time, Nebraska was determined not to be on the wrong side of history. Former Huskers guard Logan Nissley recalled the event during an appearance on the “Hurrdat Sports” podcast on Tuesday:
“She loves kind of going to that left step-back, and so when she was going to her left, it was always like, ‘Go under, make her flare back.’ And when she was going to her right, it was like, ‘Chase her, make her curl it.’ And obviously, Jaz [Shelley] just did a heck of a job on her, and she made her take tough shots all night.”
Nissey also talked about Nebraska’s plans to try to limit Clark and her teammates at the same time:
“And sometimes you’re just going to have to live with her making tough shots, and that’s what we did. We tried to kind of limit her, you know, great shots, great touches, and then also limit all the people around her, too. Because they had such a great team that year, and just so many pieces that could hurt you.”
Clark finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists on 10-for-25 shooting; however, Nebraska got the better of Iowa, winning by three points. Iowa eventually got its revenge in the Big Ten championship game, beating Nebraska by five points in an overtime thriller.
Revisiting Caitlin Clark’s College Journey
Clark hit the ground running from her first season under Iowa coach Lisa Bluder, leading the Big Ten in scoring with 26.6 points per game, combined with 7.0 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game, winning Big Ten Freshman of the Year and All-Big Ten first-team honors.
However, after March Madness exits in the Round of 16 at the hands of UConn in 2021 and a second-round loss to Creighton, Clark finally found postseason success when Iowa upset Dawn Staley’s South Carolina in the 2023 Final Four before losing to LSU in the national championship game.
In her senior season, Clark earned several honors, including her second AP Player of the Year award, as well as her second John R. Wooden and Naismith Player of the Year awards. Iowa also announced its decision to retire Clark’s No. 22 as the sharpshooter declared for the WNBA draft.
Read More:
Journalist Accuses Sophie Cunningham of “Inciting” Fan Rally Ahead of Fever vs Storm Game
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in the NBA, college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
