Uncommon Knowledge
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A record-breaking night years in the making took less than three minutes to reach its defining moment. Caitlin Clark made sure of that.
The Iowa women’s basketball star pulled up from the Tigerhawk logo inside a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena against Michigan on February 15 and fired a 35-footer in transition that found the bottom of the net—and cemented No. 22 as No. 1. Clark’s first-quarter heave pushed the sharpshooter past Kelsey Plum’s 3,527-point mark and into position as the all-time leading scorer in Division I NCAA women’s basketball history.
“I don’t know if you could script it any better,” the senior said of her record postgame. “Just to do it in this fashion, I’m very grateful and thankful to be surrounded by so many people who have been my foundation in everything I’ve done since I was a young little girl. You all knew I was going to shoot the logo 3 for the record.”
Time will tell if Clark passes another batch of upcoming milestones in such fitting fashion.
The reigning Naismith Player of the Year’s NCAA scoring pursuit—recognized by the Big Ten with a celebratory video featuring messages from Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, among others—is over. But a quest for more scoring greatness is ongoing.
Clark scored a school-record 49 points in a blowout win over Michigan, then most recently followed that up with 24 more in No. 4 Iowa’s 86-69 road loss to No. 14 Indiana on Thursday, giving the West Des Moines product 3,593 points (and counting) over her four-year collegiate career. The 22-year-old returns to Carver on Sunday for Iowa’s (23-4 record) home matchup with Illinois (13-12) as March Madness, and additional scoring achievements, approach on the calendar.
In the aftermath of passing Plum, here are the other scoring breakthroughs Clark is nearing.
Matthew Holst/Getty Images/Getty Images
Clark stands alone atop the NCAA’s all-time women’s points leaderboard, though there are some scoring legacies the guard is still chasing.
Lynette Woodard, who played at Kansas, holds the major women’s college basketball scoring record with 3,649 points scored from 1977-81. At that time, women’s hoops were governed by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, meaning the NCAA does not recognize those statistics in its official record-keeping. Woodard released a statement when Clark passed the official NCAA tally, a moment that the Hall of Famer hoped would serve as an opportunity to appreciate greatness from basketball’s past.
“Back then, collegiate women’s players used a larger basketball, and we did not have a 3-point line,” a portion of Woodard’s statement said. “In honoring Caitlin’s accomplishments, I hope that we can also shine a light on the pioneers who paved the way before her. Women’s basketball has a glorious history that predates the NCAA’s involvement. I applaud Caitlin for everything she has done and look forward to watching her score many more points for years to come.”
History made by Caitlin Clark today – the best women’s basketball player I’ve seen
Let us not overlook, though, KU legend Lynette Woodard, who played before the women’s game was sanctioned by the NCAA
Woodard holds a college basketball record 3,649 points (Clark just passed… pic.twitter.com/0aOUYiYuvB
— Landon Reinhardt (@landonian87) February 16, 2024
Another of those basketball trailblazers Woodard alluded to is Pearl Moore.
The former Francis Marion standout, whom Clark is also catching up to scoring-wise, owns the overall women’s points record with 4,061 points from 1975-79 at the small-level college, according to the Associated Press. Moore’s college contributions aren’t as widely known since the eventual Hall of Famer did not play at the Division I level, but her point tally still stands as the standard in women’s college basketball. At least for now.
“Records were made to be broken,” Moore said in a recent interview, via National Public
Radio (NPR). “…I finished college at 22 and I’m 66 now, so that record [is] like 40 years [old], so records are made to be broken and if she does it, good for her.”
Another player to keep in mind on Clark scoring watch is Pete Maravich. “Pistol Pete” is the men’s NCAA Division I all-time scoring leader with 3,667 points (an astounding 44.2 per game) totaled from 1967-70, when there was no 3-point line (just as there wasn’t for Woodard or Moore) and freshmen weren’t permitted to play on varsity teams.
A giddy collection of Iowa fans inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena took a collective breath when Clark threw up her record-breaking 3-pointer, then let out a spirited roar once the swish confirmed scoring greatness. The Hawkeye faithful will have plenty of similar moments to cheer on soon enough—whether they come in Iowa City or elsewhere.
Clark enters Sunday 57 points away from passing Woodard on the scoring list and 75 from jumping Maravich as the highest-scoring basketball player in Division I NCAA basketball history—men’s or women’s.
The All-American, who over the last 25 seasons has recorded more 30-plus point games than any player in men’s or women’s college basketball (53), leads the nation with a 32.4-point scoring average this season. Sticking to that total, and Clark is on track to take Woodard’s title as the highest-scoring player in major women’s college basketball history during Iowa’s February 28 game at Minnesota. And at that same pace, the State Farm and Gatorade partner would move by Maravich in Iowa’s regular-season finale against No. 2 Ohio State in Iowa City on March 3—perhaps with another logo 3.
Clark, also No. 5 on the NCAA’s all-time assists list, would likely need to return for a fifth season (which she can do with an extra year of eligibility granted because of COVID-19 circumstances) to reach Moore’s total. The Iowa phenom is currently 468 points behind that mark. Even with a deep tournament run and Clark sticking to her regular scoring prowess, it would still take about 15 more games to tally that many points. The Hawkeyes have three regular-season games remaining, then a trip to the Big Ten Tournament—which Iowa has won two years in a row—and eventually the NCAA Tournament, where last season Clark led her team to the championship game.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Iowa City police are asking the public’s help identifying persons of interest connected to a vandalism investigation.
Police said a business was vandalized in the alley behind the 200 block of East Washington Street on Sunday at 2:35 a.m.
Investigators would like to speak with the persons of interest pictured. Police ask anyone who recognizes these individuals to contact them.
Anyone with information or security camera footage of the incident should contact the Iowa City Police Department at 319-356-5275. Iowa City Area Crime Stoppers is also offering a reward up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers assesses the Cyclones’ spring
Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers assesses the Cyclones’ spring
Spring commencement arrives at Iowa State this weekend, with a whole new generation of Cyclones set to get their diplomas and move on to the next things in their lives.
The options and choices will set their path for, potentially, the years and decades ahead.
Which got me thinking about the choices and circumstances of this school year that came for Iowa State athletics. There were no shortages of inflection points at which, it seems, programs and an entire athletics department pivoted to new directions.
Let’s explore.
This seems to be the most discussed “Sliding Doors” moment for Iowa State football fans regarding head coach Matt Campbell’s departure to Penn State. And with good reason. It’s the most obvious, could have had the most immediate impact on the program and would have been largely seen as a continuation of the most successful run in school history.
Would promoting the Iowa State offensive coordinator, though, have been the right move?
If you assume a best-case scenario in which some of the star Cyclone players on offense – think Rocco Becht, Ben Brahmer, Carson Hansen, etc. – stay at Iowa State and a bulk of the coaching staff does as well, there are still likely defections that weaken the roster. Nothing like we saw back in December, but, still, there would be holes – and Campbell’s shoes – to fill by a first-time head coach taking over for a legend.
The calculation, as I see it, has to be – does the Year 1 continuity and relative stability gained by hiring Mouser provide for better long-term results than hiring Jimmy Rogers, who has the benefit of head-coaching experience?
It certainly would have made the fan base feel better back in December, but would it have positioned Iowa State to have better results in 2027 and beyond?
The roster almost certainly would have been “better” in 2026 if Iowa State retained Mouser, but would that have created a more solid foundation for the future or just delayed decay?
This “What If” becomes a lot less intricate and interesting if Rogers just wins a ton this fall and going forward.
I think this is the most interesting question on the list.
By reports, Penn State was on the verge of hiring Sitake from BYU when the Cougars’ boosters – led by the Crumbl Cookie fortune – banded together to put together a financial package to keep Sitake in Provo.
What if they hadn’t, though?
Sitake goes to Penn State, and Dec. 5, 2025, is an uneventful day in Iowa State history rather than one of its most feverish.
But … what happens a few weeks later when Sherrone Moore is fired at Michigan?
Rather than plucking 66-year-old Kyle Whittingham from Utah/forced retirement, do the Wolverines try to make a Michigan Man out of an Ohioan? Does Campbell inherit the seat of Bo Schembechler?
And, for the sake of this thought exercise, if Campbell did move to Ann Arbor, does the timing of that decision change athletics director Jamie Pollard’s options and calculus about Iowa State’s opening? Is Jimmy Rogers still available? Or would he have taken a different opening or opted not to leave Pullman at that later date? Is Mouser the answer in this scenario?
Or is the Buckeye State distaste for the state Up North too much and Campbell returns for Year 11 at Iowa State?
Addy Brown on what went wrong in Iowa State’s loss to Syracuse
Iowa State’s Addy Brown talks about her team’s struggles in a loss to Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament.
Iowa State women’s basketball was 14-0 on Jan. 4 when it played Baylor in Waco, and the season felt sure to realize the potential that was clear before it started with one of coach Bill Fennelly’s best rosters.
The Cyclones, though, returned home with their first loss and with Addy Brown sidelined with a back injury.
Four more losses in a row followed, and when Brown returned to the floor after six weeks, the Cyclones’ season was floundering.
They salvaged an NCAA Tournament bid, but a first-round exit gave way to a roster collapse with nine players – including Brown and superstar Audi Crooks – leaving via the transfer portal, putting Fennelly’s tenure and future under fire.
If Brown doesn’t get hurt – or just isn’t out as long – does that change the trajectory of the season? The offseason? And what the eventual end of Fennelly’s Iowa State career looks like?
The most recent “What If” I think is also the most straightforward.
If Jefferson’s ankle doesn’t roll in the early minutes of Iowa State’s first-round NCAA Tournament blowout win over Tennessee State, I think the Cyclones get a long second weekend in Chicago, but the Final Four drought probably remains intact.
Jefferson’s rebounding and offensive impact are, I think, enough to give the Cyclones the edge against Tennessee, but Michigan, the Cyclones’ would-be Elite Eight opponent, was just a juggernaut.
I’m not sure even a full-strength Iowa State team would have had more than a puncher’s chance. The Wolverines were just one of the best college basketball teams we’ve seen over the last few decades.
Iowa State columnist Travis Hines has covered the Cyclones for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune since 2012. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.
One of the top Iowa high school football prospects in the state has made his college decision official.
Iowa City Regina High School senior-to-be Tate Wallace has announced he has verbally committed to the University of Minnesota in the Big Ten Conference. Wallace picked the Golden Gophers and head coach PJ Fleck over a finalists Notre Dame, Nebraska, Arizona, Arizona State and Wisconsin.
Wallace narrowed down his list of schools to six at the end of April before making his final decision.
The 6-foot-2, 226-pound linebacker is considered the No. 2 overall prospect in the state of Iowa for high school football, and is the No. 21 linebacker in the Class of 2027, according to 247Sports.
In the 247Sports Composite rankings, Wallace is No. 2 in Iowa high school football, No. 29 at linebacker and No. 359 for the Class of 2027.
Wallace currently holds 16 total offers including from the previously mentioned Minnesota, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Arizona, Arizona State, Wisconsin, Iowa State, Kansas State, Purdue, Tennessee, West Virginia, Eastern Michigan, Miami (Ohio), Toledo, UNLV, North Dakota and North Dakota State.
As a junior, Wallace registered almost 50 tackles on defense, with 29 of them being counted as solo stops. He had 18 tackles for loss, 8.5 quarterback sacks and forced two fumbles, as Iowa City Regina advanced to the state championship game of the Iowa High School Athletic Association State Football Championships.
Wallace also hauled in 40 passes for 611 yards with 10 receiving touchdowns on offense for the Regals. As a two-way player for Iowa City Regina during his sophomore season, Wallace had 27.5 tackles, including 16 solo stops, four tackles for loss and a quarterback sack, adding 51 receptions for 752 yards and eight touchdowns.
Back in March, Wallace announced seven spring visits to Notre Dame, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona, Kansas State and Arizona State. He also visited Tennessee this past fall, taking in an SEC contest with the Volunteers.
Along with his success on the football field, Wallace helped lead the Regals to the Iowa High School Athletic Association Boys State Basketball Tournament this past winter. He earned High School on SI all-state honors in the process.
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