Iowa women's basketball: Caitlin Clark continues her dominant season with yet another strong performance against Nebraska
Caitlin Clark is in the midst of yet another magnificent season as the senior guard is in line to lead the nation in scoring for the third time in four seasons. Entering Saturday's matchup with the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the Iowa Hawkeyes guard was coming off of a performance in which she scored a season-high 45 points and added three rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and one block.
Clark shot 12-of-25 from the field, 7-of-18 from three-point range and 14-of-16 from the free-throw line. Despite her strong play, the Hawkeyes suffered their second loss of the season and were looking to bounce back on Saturday.
Clark made sure that her team did not lose back-to-back games as she finished with 38 points, ten rebounds, six assists, and two steals. She shot 12-of-22 from the field, 8-of-15 from three-point range, and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line as Iowa defeated their conference opponents 92-73.
For the season, which will likely be her last at the collegiate level, Caitlin Clark is averaging 32.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.5 blocks per game while shooting 48.4% from the field, 40.7% from 3-point range and 83.8% from the free-throw line.
How has Caitlin Clark performed in her college career?
Caitlin Clark was an immediate star as a true freshman, as she averaged 26.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks per game. She shot 47.2% from the field, 40.6% from the 3-point range and 85.8% from the free-throw line.
In 2021-22, she improved her production across the board, averaging 27.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 8.0 apg, 1.6 spg, and 0.6 bpg. She shot 45.2% from the field, 33.2% from the 3-point range and 88.1% from the free-throw line. Clark averaged 27.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 8.6 apg, 1.5 spg, and 0.5 bpg while shooting 47.3% from the field, 38.9% from the 3-point range, and 83.9% from the free-throw line the following season.
Her strong season earned her AP Player of the Year and Naismith College Player of the Year honors. Clark has been named an All-American in her three previous seasons. She has been a unanimous first-team selection in each of the past two seasons.
While she has not announced her plans for next season, she will likely enter the 2024 WNBA Draft after turning 22 earlier this week. WNBA rules state that a player must be 22 or set to turn 22 during the calendar year of the WNBA Draft.
Caitlin Clark could, however, opt to take advantage of the extra year of eligibility granted to college athletes who played in the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, if she desires.