Caitlin Clark Passes Brittney Griner on Scoring List: A By-the-Numbers Look

Iowa women's basketball star Caitlin Clark can still vividly recall attending an NCAA Tournament regional final near her hometown of West Des Moines in 2012. Baylor, the eventual undefeated national champions, beat Tennessee in front of Clark. And the star of the night, and many others, was Brittney Griner, thanks to a 23-point, 15-rebound, nine-block performance.

So consider the history made in Iowa City on Tuesday night a full-circle moment.

Clark moved by Griner into fourth place on the NCAA women's basketball career scoring list with a game-high 32-point performance in No. 2 Iowa's 96-50 win over Wisconsin.

"Just to be in the same vicinity of some of those names is super special," Clark told reporters postgame via the Associated Press. "It's cool; they're people I grew up watching. So it's special...It's hard for me to wrap my head around it. I'm just trying to stay in the moment, enjoy every single second of it."

Added Iowa coach Lisa Bluder: "It's pretty impressive."

The reigning Naismith Player of the Year came into the game with 3,274 points across her three-plus college seasons, needing 10 to pass Griner. She got there by knocking down a free throw with 7:02 left in the second quarter. Clark, who also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists, now has 3,306 career points.

The All-American is, however, down one pair of shoes. Clark handed out her game-worn custom Sabrinas to a young girl in attendance donning a No. 22 jersey, who was mimicking the Hawkeyes while they warmed up.

The defending national runner-up Hawkeyes (18-1 overall, 7-0 Big Ten) have now won 15 games in a row after their 29th consecutive victory over the Badgers.

For Clark, this is just the latest in a long line of accomplishments for possibly the biggest phenomenon in college sports. The All-American has been climbing the top 10 on the all-time scoring list throughout her fourth and potentially final college campaign.

Here's a by-the-numbers look at how No. 22 will become No. 1.

3,527: Kelsey Plum's All-Time Record

Plum, the former Washington star, set the sport's standard for scoring across a four-year college career from 2013-17. Behind Plum in second and third place on the leaderboard are Kelsey Mitchell (Ohio State, 2014-18) with 3,402 points and Jackie Stiles (Missouri State, 1997-2001) with 3,393 points.

Clark needs 88 points to pass Stiles and enter the top three.

30.1: Clark's Scoring Pace This Season

That point-per-game mark leads the nation. Assuming Clark sticks to her current pace, her pursuit of the all-time scoring record will be over soon enough. At a 30-point average, the 6-foot guard needs roughly seven games to surpass Plum, whom she currently trails by 221 points, and sit atop the scoring mountain. That would be in the second or third week of February if Clark keeps to her average.

For the Iowa fans checking their calendars, Clark is on track to break the record around a home game against Michigan on February 15 or on the road against Indiana on February 22.

47: 30-Point Performances From Clark

Clark's race to new scoring heights only emphasizes the video game numbers she puts up regularly. In the process of passing Griner, the remarkably consistent scorer also extended a variety of statistical accolades on Tuesday night in the Hawkeye State. Her 32 points against the Badgers upped her tally to 47 career games with 30+ points, the most in men's or women's college basketball over the last 25 seasons, per the school.

And the list of surreal stats goes on.

The State Farm and Gatorade, among others, partner has an NCAA-best 54 career games with 25+ points, 5+ assists, and 5+ rebounds.

Clark extended her streak of consecutive games, making a 3-point basket to 77 straight contests on Tuesday, an NCAA-best. She has made at least three in each of her last ten games, including seven in that stretch with at least six shots from beyond the arc.

Only once across 119 college games has the Dowling Catholic product failed to score double-digits (she scored eight points in one game her freshman year). By comparison, Clark has scored 30 or more points in just under 40 percent of her college games as of Tuesday night, according to Sports Reference.

Clark, second nationally in assists per game, has now led both her team and the opposing squad in scoring in 29 consecutive games dating back to last season, according to ESPN, the second-longest streak over the past 25 years.

There may be no stopping Clark, only the hope to fend her off. And if these numbers are any indication, the top spot on the all-time scoring list won't be able to do so much longer.