IOWA CITY — Just over two minutes into the game, Caitlin Clark rose to shoot from the left wing well behind the three-point line. Itâs a scene that has played out countless times over the past four seasons in Iowa City and all throughout the country.
This shot was different from the rest. This shot would live on forever. In highlight reels. In record books. And in the memories of the 15,000+ people in attendance.
Clarkâs three moved her past Kelsey Plum as NCAA womenâs basketballâs all-time leading scorer. But she wasn’t done breaking records. Clark’s big night continued and she ended up scoring 49 points to break Megan Gustafson’s program record for most points in a game. Clark also broke Hannah Stuelke’s mark for most points scored in a game in Carver-Hawkeye Arena set just one week ago. For good measure, Clark added 13 assists and five rebounds.
Clark’s big performance propelled Iowa to a 106-89 victory over Michigan on a night Iowa fans will remember forever.
“You all knew I was going to shoot a logo three for the record,” Clark said with a smile after the game.
Clark came into the game needing seven points to tie Plumâs record and eight points to surpass it. If she could score five early points, she’d have an opportunity to break Plum’s mark with one of her signature shots. Sometimes fate plays out exactly like you hope.
Clark made her first shot just nine seconds into the game on a layup. She followed that with a three 30 seconds later.
Because no one is perfect, Clark was quiet on Iowaâs next two possessions: “I thought about doing it a couple possessions earlier, but I was tired. I needed to catch my breath a bit,” said Clark.
Clark had caught her breath by the time Gabbie Marshall tracked down a rebound just over two minutes into the game. Marshall found Clark in the perfect position to push in transition. From there, history awaited:
But Clark wasnât done. Far from it. After a brief pause to recognize Clarkâs achievement, the game got going again and so did Clark.
“During warmups my shot felt pretty good,” Clark said. “Usually as a shooter you know. The ball just comes off your hand some nights better than others.”
Clark hit seven other shotsâincluding four more three-pointers â in a remarkable first quarter that saw her score 23 points and dish four assists.
Clark wasn’t done after the first quarter, either. Just last week, she saw Hannah Stuelke set a Carver record for points in a game. The NCAA’s all-time leading scorer couldn’t let that stand.
“She asked why I had to do that,” Clark said of Stuelke’s reaction to her record being broken. Then Stuelke turned it into a joke, as Clark noted that Stuelke said “she said she passed the torch to me.”
Clark’s late three did more than surpass Stuelke. It also lifted her above Megan Gustafson’s prior program record of 48 points in a game.
Clark has occasionally been chided for the volume of shots that she takes, but tonight no one could question her. Clark shot 16-of-31 from the floor and went 9-of-18 from 3-point range. She also added 13 assists because breaking three different scoring records in the same game just wasn’t enough.
“I don’t know if you could script it any better.” Clark said.
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Clark’s record and her masterful performance will occupy every headline, but this was also a big game for Iowa as a team. The Hawks sit one game behind Ohio State in the loss column in the Big Ten standings. The only team to defeat the Buckeyes in Big Ten play so far this season is Michigan. If Iowa didnât play at its best, this was absolutely a game that could have ended in an upset. One more loss would have almost certainly ended Iowaâs Big Ten championship aspirations.
Offensively, at least, the Hawkeyes were at their best in this game. Kate Martin was consistent as ever, scoring 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including a red hot 4-of-5 effort from 3-point range. Stuelke scored 13 points on just six shots. Gabbie Marshall even broke out of her recent shooting slump, hitting a couple big threes.
As a team, Iowa shot 53% from the floor and a sizzling 51% from 3-point range, making a stunning 18 triples on the night. Iowa also had 25 assists on 34 made field goals, turned 14 Michigan turnovers into 26 points, and out-scored the Wolverines 25-7 in fast break points. This game was an example of the Iowa offense at its best.
READ MORE: Social Media Reacts to Caitlin Clark Breaking the NCAA WBB Scoring Record
After the game, Coach Lisa Bluder took time to praise how Michigan handled the moment.
“They gave Caitlin a gift after the game and every one of (their) players wrote her a note,” Bluder said in her press conference. “I am so glad that we have people in the Big Ten that understand the importance of this and the importance for women’s basketball… that was a really classy way for them to handle this. I appreciate Kim and what she did.”
“There was like no one here,” Clark said of her first college game in Carver Hawkeye Arena against Northern Iowa. That’s not technically true, of course. The official attendance was 365. But compared to the capacity crowd of tonight, it might as well have been no one.
We will never know how many people might’ve attended Clark’s debut had it not been for the COVID restrictions in place at the time. We can say with certainty, though, that it wouldn’t have been close to a sellout.
Iowaâs 2019 season opener against Florida Atlantic had an official attendance of 3,334. For the 2021 season opener against New Hampshire in Clarkâs sophomore season, the attendance was 6,789.
Tonight, every seat in Carver was taken, and ticket prices on the secondary market reached insane levels:
In less than four years, #22 has transformed womenâs basketball. Tonightâs game was more than a record or a moment. It was a celebration of four years that have helped change womenâs basketball forever.
“There’s no way I could imagine this,” Bluder said when asked what her childhood self would say of tonight. “There’s just no way you can even fathom this as a little kid growing up pre-Title IX.”
Given Clark’s talent and charisma, it’s fair to say that she isn’t done growing the game just yet, either.
With the college football season right around the corner, the Iowa State Cyclones will be hoping to have a strong campaign with a new regime coming in. However, a lot of their success might depend on one key player.
Following the departure of Matt Campbell to the Penn State Nittany Lions, the Cyclones saw their roster get completely gutted. Most of their players entered the transfer portal, leaving new head coach Jimmy Rogers with plenty of work to do.
Fortunately, Rogers and the coaching staff were able to get out there and bring in a lot of new players from all over the country. While Iowa State might be lacking star power and aren’t going to be as talented as they were last year, they do have a good amount of depth.
There should be quite a bit of competition for spots in camp, but there are some players who should clearly be starters that transferred in.
Pete Nakos of On3 recently predicted who would be the starting quarterback for every team in the Big 12. Unsurprisingly for the Cyclones, it was Jaylen Raynor who was the choice.
After bringing in the three-year starter from the Arkansas State Red Wolves, Raynor instantly became the favorite to be the starter for the Cyclones in Week 1. Him being predicted as that guy should come as no surprise, and his ability to play against elevated competition on a weekly basis will be key.
There is a lot to like about Raynor’s game, and he could certainly help Iowa State exceed expectations next year.
Last season with the Red Wolves, he totaled 3,361 passing yards, 19 passing touchdowns, and a 66.5 completion percentage. It was career-highs for him in all three of those categories, showing some nice improvement in his junior season.
As a dual-threat player, he also totaled a career-high in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. The junior recorded 423 yards on the ground to go along with seven rushing scores.
Overall, the numbers for Raynor were really solid, and there is reason to believe he might be even better in his senior season. For the Cyclones, with all of the new players on the roster, there will undoubtedly be some competition for starting spots around the field. However, it should certainly be Raynor who is under center to start.
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CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Syringes from injectable weight loss medications are turning up in drug drop-off boxes across eastern Iowa, creating a safety hazard for law enforcement officers who handle the containers.
Sgt. Erich Lear of the Linn County Sheriff’s Office said emptying the drug drop-off box is part of his daily routine — and the box fills fast.
“It’s probably a 30-gallon tote, and I’d say 3 out of the five days of the week it’s completely full,” Lear said.
Lear said he has noticed over the past five years that people are placing medicine, nasal sprays and syringes in the bin. He said many of the syringes come from people discarding GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy.
“That tote that I pull out — there’s nothing that protects me from needles other than my observation and using gloves when I sort through things,” Lear said.
The Hiawatha Police Department said it is also seeing an increase in improperly discarded syringes.
The Cedar Rapids Linn County Solid Waste Agency is the proper disposal site for sharps. The agency said it has seen syringe intake increase by more than a ton in recent years.
“We’re talking about two thousand pounds of sharps and syringes coming in,” said Joe Horaney of the solid waste agency. “Before 2021 we were around 1.9, maybe 2 tons a year — now we are over 3 tons a year.”
Horaney said any Linn County resident can bring syringes to the facility, provided they are contained properly.
“We just ask that you have it in a heavy plastic container — so one of those medically certified red biohazard containers,” Horaney said. “If you don’t have that, it can be a heavy plastic container like an old laundry detergent [bottle].”
A third-party company picks up the sharps from the facility and incinerates them.
Lear said another reason sharps are appearing at drop-off locations is that some agencies have ended their disposal programs. The Marion Police Department said it stopped offering the service after people continued to place broken glass, liquids and other garbage inside the box.
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While most of the focus for the Iowa State Cyclones will be on the football program for the next couple of months, the basketball program will also be getting set soon for a new campaign. Coming off a strong season, expectations for them will be high.
The 2025-26 season will go down as a memorable one for the Cyclones. This was a team that exceeded most expectations and ended up being one of the best teams in the country.
Iowa State started out the campaign with a 16-0 record, and the group looked like a real contender. While there were some hiccups during a challenging conference schedule, the Cyclones were one of the best teams in the country.
In March Madness, Iowa State was a number two seed, proving to be one of the top eight teams in the country. As they get set for next season, their goal will undoubtedly be to be ranked highly again. However, they may have to prove themselves a bit.
Joe Lunardi of ESPN recently updated his very early bracketology report for the upcoming 2026-27 campaign for the Cyclones. After being a number two seed last year in the NCAA Tournament, he currently has them on the five line.
While being a five seed in the NCAA Tournament would indicate a Top 25 season for the Cyclones, expectations for the program are higher than that at this point.
Iowa State has become one of the more consistent programs in the country over the last several years, and they will undoubtedly want to take a step forward this coming season.
Due to a lot of production leaving, it is understandable that how they are viewed now could be very different from how they are perceived come March. Due to all of the new players that are coming in, it is going to take time for them to gel.
The Cyclones have a few key returning players led by Killyan Toure, Jamarion Batemon, and Blake Buchanan. Both Toure and Buchanan were starters for the team last season, and that should remain the same this year. However, Batemon also played a significant role coming off the bench, and his scoring ability might put him next to Toure in the starting lineup this coming year.
Overall, while the team did lose a lot of production, they have a good amount of depth with the new players coming in and some key freshmen returning. If things go right and the team gels quickly, they should be better than a five seed.
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