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Celebrate Caitlin Clark’s 23rd birthday with her top-23 Iowa women’s basketball moments

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Celebrate Caitlin Clark’s 23rd birthday with her top-23 Iowa women’s basketball moments


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Caitlin Clark was born on Jan. 22, 2002.

Twenty-three years later, the Des Moines native and former Dowling Catholic and Iowa women’s basketball superstar is one of the most famous athletes in the country and the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year for the Indiana Fever.

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There is plenty to celebrate throughout her illustrious career, so let’s look back at her top-23 moments with the Hawkeyes, with help from her career timeline on NCAA.com.

23. Caitlin Clark gets buckets in first college game (11/25/2020)

Clark put the basketball world on notice in her first college game, notching 27 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. It was the first of many stat sheet-filled outings.

22. Caitlin Clark scores her first 40-point game (1/2/2022)

In a 93-56 win over Evansville, Clark totaled 40 points for the first time in her career. She’d finish her career with 13 such games.

21. Caitlin Clark tallies first career triple-double (12/22/2020)

Clark notched 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to get her first triple double. She’d finish her career with 17, trailing only Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu (26).

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20. Caitlin Clark announces she’s entering the WNBA Draft (2/29/2024)

Although not an on-court moment, Clark decided to forgo her final year of college eligibility and enter the WNBA Draft after her senior season. The announcement allowed for her, teammates, coaches and fans to fully enjoy the final weeks of her legendary career.

19. Caitlin Clark becomes Big Ten’s all-time leading scorer (1/31/2024)

With 35 points against Northwestern, Clark broke future Indiana Fever teammate Kelsey Mitchell’s Big Ten career scoring record.

18. Caitlin Clark becomes first player with consecutive 30-point triple-doubles (1/20/2022)

Clark became the first Div. I player to ever notch back-to-back 30-point triple-doubles in conference victories.

17. Caitlin Clark breaks Big Ten assists record (12/30/2023)

In a win over Minnesota, Clark broke the conference’s career assists record and became the first Div. I men’s or women’s college basketball player with at least 3,000 points, 900 assists and 800 rebounds in a career.

16. Caitlin Clark surpasses 1,000 career assists (2/11/2024)

In the second quarter of a game against Nebraska, Clark became the sixth player to reach 1,000 career assists and the only one with more than 3,000 points.

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15. Caitlin Clarks breaks record for most points in a single NCAA Tournament run (4/2/2023)

With 30 points in the national title game vs. LSU, Clark broke Sheryll Swoops’ record for points in a single NCAA Tournament with 191.

14. Caitlin Clark’s historic 40-point triple-double leads Iowa past Louisville in Elite Eight

With the first 40-point triple-double in NCAA Tournament history – 41 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds – Clark helped Iowa beat Louisville in the Elite Eight. In the game, she also became the first player with 900 points and 300 assists in a single season.

13. Caitlin Clark buzzer-beater vs. Michigan State (1/2/2024)

A signature logo triple ignited Iowa’s 2024 run to a Big Ten Tournament title and NCAA championship game appearance.

12. Caitlin Clark beats No. 2 Indiana at the buzzer (2/26/2023)

In what might’ve ignited her and Iowa women’s basketball’s rise to national superstardom, Clark put away the Hoosiers with a leaning triple as time expired.

11. Caitlin Clark, Iowa women’s basketball make Big Ten history (3/6/2022)

With a 74-67 win over Indiana, Clark and her teammates helped that Iowa team become the first in program history to win both the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles.

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10. Caitlin Clark’s triple-double helps Iowa to back-to-back Big Ten Tournament titles (3/5/2023)

With the first triple-double in a Big Ten Tournament title game – 30 points, 17 assists, 10 rebounds – Clark led Iowa to a victory over Ohio State and hoisted the trophy for the second straight year.

9. Caitlin Clark drafted No. 1 overall into WNBA (4/15/2024)

Although not a college achievement, Clark being selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever in a stacked draft class was the final bridge between her historic college career and the professional success that would follow.

8. Caitlin Clark, Hawkeyes avenge title game loss vs. LSU (4/1/24)

After losing the 2023 NCAA Tournament final to Angel Reese and LSU, Clark and the Hawkeyes knocked off the defending champions in the Elite Eight the next year. Clark went off with 41 points and 12 assists.

7. Caitlin Clark breaks Steph Curry’s 3-point record (3/8/2024)

In the fourth quarter against Penn State, Clark broke Davidson’s Steph Curry’s single-season 3-pointers made record.

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6. Caitlin Clark breaks single-season scoring record (3/25/2024)

With 32 points in a second-round win during the NCAA Tournament, Clark passed Washington’s Kelsey Plum for the single-season scoring record with 1,113 single-season points.

5. Caitlin Clark helps break 3 records in one game (2/28/2024)

In a dominant win over Minnesota, Clark scored her 3,650th point to surpass Kansas guard Lynette Woodard as the highest-scoring player in major-college women’s basketball. Woodard played from 1977-1981 when the sport was still governed by the AIAW.

In the game, Clark also broke the single-season 3-point record, and the Hawkeyes broke the Big Ten’s single-game 3-point record with 22.

4. Caitlin Clarks leads Iowa women’s basketball to third straight Big Ten Tournament championship (3/10/2024)

With an all-time great second half and overtime performance, Clark helped the Hawkeyes beat Nebraska 94-89. She finished with 34 points, 12 assists and a clutch layup with 30 seconds left in regulation.

3. Caitlin Clark’s big night helps Iowa upset No. 1 South Carolina in Final Four (3/31/2023)

In perhaps the biggest game of Clark’s life and in program history to that point, she became the first player to score 40 or more points in consecutive NCAA Tournament games en route to an upset over undefeated No. 1 South Carolina.

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2. Caitlin Clark breaks Kelsey Plum’s NCAA women’s basketball scoring record (2/15/2024)

In what was very fitting, Clark launched a deep triple to break the NCAA Div. I women’s college basketball scoring record. She also finished with a career-high 49 points, breaking the program record.

1. Caitlin Clark breaks 54-year-old Div. I college basketball scoring record (3/3/2024)

With a dramatic pair of free throws, Clark became the all-time career points leader in college basketball history, men’s and women’s.

She dethroned the legendary LSU Tiger “Pistol” Pete Maravich, who set the record in 1970.



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Iowa State basketball vs. Arizona State prediction, 3 things to watch

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Iowa State basketball vs. Arizona State prediction, 3 things to watch


It’s the last dance at Hilton Coliseum for Cyclone lifer Tamin Lipsey and other Iowa State basketball seniors.

The Cyclones will wrap up the regular season with one final home game on March 7 against visiting Arizona State. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on FS1.

Iowa State (24-6, 11-6 Big 12 Conference) is looking to shake off a two-game losing skid after suffering back-to-back losses to Texas Tech and Arizona.

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Meanwhile, Arizona State (16-14, 7-10) is coming to Ames fresh off of consecutive wins over Utah and Kansas. The Sun Devils upset the Jayhawks 70-60 on March 3.

Here are three things to watch for in Saturday’s game:

Arizona State enters Hilton Coliseum with momentum

The Sun Devils are coming off of back-to-back wins, including an upset of Kansas in their last outing at home on March 3.

The Sun Devils built a 40-20 halftime lead and hung on for the win.

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Arizona State also had a 72-67 win over Texas Tech on Feb. 17. It was the game in which J.T. Toppin went down with a season-ending ACL injury in the final six minutes of the contest.

Pepperdine transfer Moe Odum is shining in his first season at the power-conference level. He had 23 points in both games against Kansas and Texas Tech. In the recent win over Kansas, he had a game-high 23 points and shot 5-of-10 from long range, with four boards, six assists and two steals.

The senior guard is averaging 17.3 points, 5.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game for the Sun Devils.

The frontcourt is anchored by 7-foot-1 center Massamba Diop. Diop is one of the top shot-blockers and rim-protectors in the conference, averaging 2.2 blocks per game, second to Kansas’ Flory Bidunga. The freshman center has had three or more blocks in nine Big 12 games this season.

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Senior guard Anthony Johnson has developed into a reliable sixth man for the Sun Devils. It’s his first season of Division I basketball after playing the last few years at NAIA-level University of the Cumberlands. Johnson is a two-way contributor off the bench. He is averaging 13.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Primarily a slashing threat, Johnson has shown he can knock down 3s when left open.

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Iowa State basketball guard Tamin Lipsey on increased urgency

Iowa State basketball guard Tamin Lipsey on team-wide increased urgency.

Arizona State’s towering size

The Sun Devils have plenty of length and size throughout their roster.

According to KenPom, Arizona State has the ninth-tallest roster in Division I basketball in terms of average height across the team.

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The Sun Devils’ starting five features three players who are 6-foot-11 or taller.

Aside from the 7-foot-1 Diop, they have a pair of 6-foot-11 forwards in the lineup, sophomore Santiago Trouet and junior Andrija Grbovic.

Although the Sun Devils’ big men might not be as talented as Arizona’s, it will be interesting to see if Arizona State tries to emulate or utilize a similar gameplan defensively as Arizona. The Sun Devils are a good shot-blocking team and they’ll look to use their size up front to make life in the paint difficult for Iowa State.

Despite Arizona State’s size, the Sun Devils are not an exceptional rebounding team, so this can be an opportunity for Iowa State bigs to set the tone on the boards.

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Iowa State basketball coach TJ Otzelberger on emotions of senior night

Iowa State basketball coach TJ Otzelberger on the emotions of senior night from a coach’s perspective.

Iowa State will salute its seniors

The Cyclones are set to honor five seniors on Saturday afternoon: Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson, Nate Heise, Eric Mulder and Dominick Nelson.

Lipsey, a hometown hero and Ames product, will be playing in his final game at Hilton Coliseum. A senior who has been at Iowa State since the first day of his collegiate career, Lipsey is a rarity in this era of the revamped transfer portal and NIL. He is one of only five seniors in the Big 12 to stay all four, or five (if they redshirted), years at the same school.

Jefferson also will get recognition. In just two years at Iowa State, he quickly blossomed into one of the Cyclones’ top players and fan-favorites after transferring in from Saint Mary’s.

Nate Heise, a sixth-year senior, was already honored in last season’s senior-night ceremonies, but he will be recognized once again on Saturday. Heise chose to return this season for another year due to a season of eligibility stemming from a medical redshirt from a hand injury in the 2022-23 season at Northern Iowa.

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Nelson and Mulder, both graduate transfers, will cap senior-day ceremonies.

Iowa State basketball vs. Arizona State prediction

The quest for perfection at home is no longer possible, but expect Iowa State to be able to give Tamin Lipsey and the other seniors the perfect sendoff in the final game at Hilton Coliseum. Although the Sun Devils recently enjoyed a big win, they’ve struggled on the road this year, with a 2-8 record. One last dose of Hilton Magic as Iowa State gets back on the winning side after a two-game losing skid. Prediction: Iowa State 80, Arizona State 64

Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.





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No. 3 Michigan holds off a late run by Iowa, beats the Hawkeyes 71-68

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No. 3 Michigan holds off a late run by Iowa, beats the Hawkeyes 71-68


IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Morez Johnson Jr. and Yaxel Lendeborg scored 16 points apiece, and Aday Mara had two tiebreaking shots in the final 1:22 as No. 3 Michigan defeated Iowa 71-68 on Thursday night.

The Wolverines (28-2, 18-1 Big Ten) were held 18 points below their season scoring average, but managed to hold off the Hawkeyes (20-10, 10-9) in the closing seconds.

Iowa went on an 11-1 run to tie the game at 64 with 1:56 to play before Mara banked in a shot before the shot clock expired, putting Michigan in front again. After Iowa’s Cam Manyawu scored inside to tie the game at 66, Mara, who finished with 14 points on 7-for-10 shooting, scored off a lob with 43 seconds left to put the Wolverines ahead to stay.

Iowa had chances to tie the game on back-to-back possessions, but missed three shots on one of the possessions and lost the ball on another after a turnover by Tavion Banks with seven seconds left.

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The Hawkeyes had a final chance to tie the game after Lendeborg made two free throws with four seconds remaining, but Bennett Stirtz’s 3-pointer try was long.

Elliot Cadeau added 11 points for the Wolverines, the Big Ten regular-season champions.

Stirtz led Iowa with 21 points. Manyawu had 14.

Michigan had a 38-25 rebounding edge on the Hawkeyes.

The game was tied at 30 at halftime. Michigan shot 50% from the field, but committed 12 turnovers that Iowa turned into 16 points.

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The Hawkeyes were 11 of 31 from the field, with Stirtz especially struggling to make shots. Stirtz, Iowa’s leading scorer this season, made just one of his first nine shots, then hit back-to-back 3-pointers in a 27-second span to give Iowa a 30-28 lead.

Up next

Michigan: Hosts No. 8 Michigan State on Sunday.

Iowa: At No. 9 Nebraska on Sunday.



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Iowa women’s wrestling star Kylie Welker on competing for official NCAA championship

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Iowa women’s wrestling star Kylie Welker on competing for official NCAA championship


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March 5, 2026

Iowa women’s wrestling star Kylie Welker on competing for official NCAA championship

March 5, 2026

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Kylie Welker chats with NCAA Digital’s Sophie Starkey about the success of Iowa women’s wrestling and the possibility of winning the inaugural NCAA sanctioned championship.



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