In just over three seasons in an Iowa uniform, Caitlin Clark has done it all. 

Earlier this season against Northern Iowa, she passed former standout center Megan Gustafson as the program’s all-time leading scorer, and she’s currently chasing current-WNBA star Kelsey Plum on the NCAA’s career scoring list. 

But during tonight’s 67-58 win against in-state rival Iowa State, Clark surpassed 3,000 points in her career — and became only the 15th women’s college basketball player to reach the mark. 

This was Clark’s 110th game of her Hawkeye career, and she is the second-fastest player in history to reach the mark.

“Caitlin surpassing the 3,000-point mark is really special,” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said. “That is a very hard thing to do.”

Hailing from West Des Moines, Iowa, it was only fitting that Clark’s historic bucket came only 45 miles from home with many of her close family and friends cheering her on.

“It’s always fun coming to Hilton [Coliseum],” she said. “I haven’t won here yet [in my career], so you have to give credit to their fans.” 

Though she could return for a fifth season in Iowa City, Clark knew this was her last game in Hilton Coliseum because the rivalry series alternates who hosts, so she was glad she came out with a win. 

“This is my last chance to do this,” Clark said. “It feels good.”

Coincidentally, the last women’s player to reach the historic 3,000-point milestone also came from the state of Iowa — but not the Hawkeyes.

Former Iowa State star Ashley Joens scored her 3,000th point during last season’s Big 12 Tournament. Joens, who was once an AAU teammate of Clark, finished her career with 3,060 points. 

Clark’s extraordinary performance even garnered her a shoutout from famous rapper Lil Wayne on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

Caitlin Clark congrats on 3k!!! U a fkn dogg dogg!!

— Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@LilTunechi) December 7, 2023

Clark finished with 35 points, nine rebounds, and five assists on the night. Right from the opening tip, she showed why she is the reigning player of the year and scored 12 of Iowa’s 21 points in the period. 

But it wasn’t always pretty for Clark and the Hawkeyes as they were plagued by inconsistent shooting from the floor throughout the scrappy win.  

In the second, the Hawkeyes scored only 13 points in the quarter. And in the third period, Clark scored all 14 of Iowa’s points and capped off the win with a handful of clutch layups in the fourth. 

Clark knows it’s tough to win on the road, and despite the team having seen better games, she is proud of the group. 

“I thought we battled really nicely,” Clark said. “The second quarter wasn’t very pretty, but we went into halftime and reset our minds.” 

Though Clark scored over half of Iowa’s points in the game, fifth-year Kate Martin was right by her side and earned 16 points in the victory, including a clutch steal late in the fourth quarter that essentially iced the game. 

Following the game, Martin said the wide-open layup was because of the overwhelming attention Clark receives. 

“Caitlin just draws so much attention,” Martin said. “My player just took their eyes off of me, and it gave me an opportunity to cut backdoor.”

Despite all of her success with the Black and Gold, Clark gives the most credit to Bluder. 

“I’m really thankful for what she’s allowed me to do on this stage,” Clark said. “She lets me be me.”