Caitlin Clark Smashes Maravich Scoring Record As Iowa Dominates No. 2 Ohio State

Iowa iconic superstar Caitlin Clark tried to break the record on her signature "logo 3" from the Iowa Hawkeye painted more than 30 feet from the basket at Carver-Hawkeye Arena floor late in the first half in Iowa City Sunday afternoon.

That rimmed off, though. So, she sank two technical free throws with 0.3 seconds to go in the first half instead to break the NCAA major college scoring record held for 54 years by LSU's cultural phenomenon, Pistol Pete Maravich. Clearly, she did not envision breaking such a record at the free throw line.

"Not really," she smiled at halftime on FOX, which nationally televised No. 6 Iowa's 93-83 win over No. 2 Ohio State. "But it was pretty cool."

The second technical free throw gave her 18 points in the first half and 3,668 in her four-year career at Iowa and 130th game. Maravich scored 3,667 points in a three-year career from 1967-70 in 83 games as freshmen were not eligible to play on the varsity at the time.

Clark scored 17 more in the second half to finish with 35 points and put her career total at 3,685 and counting. The Hawkeyes complete the regular season at 26-4 and 15-3 in the Big Ten. They play in the Big Ten Tournament (March 6-10) at the Target Center in Minneapolis next before the NCAA Tournament, where they will host the first round and could play a maximum of two more games at home. Ohio State (25-4, 16-2 Big Ten) clinched the league crown last week.

Caitlin Clark And Iowa ‘Dominated’ Ohio State This Time

Iowa's victory avenged a 100-92 loss at Ohio State on Jan. 21, and the Hawkeyes did it without starting senior guard Molly Davis, who injured her leg in a collision early in the second quarter.

"We came out and dominated," Clark said. "It was a fun, dominant win."

Clark's shot was off. She finished 10 of 26 from the field (38 percent) and 6 of 17 from 3-point range (35 percent). But like Maravich, her passing expertise and overall skill were on vivid display as usual. She finished with nine assists - five in the first quarter - and added six rebounds and three steals around five turnovers.

"Just soaking it all in," Clark said before beginning senior day ceremonies with her teammates.

All in all, it was quite a day for Clark. Her girlhood basketball idol - former Connecticut and WNBA star Maya Moore - attended the game as did former Kansas star Lynette Woodard, whose pre-NCAA scoring record Clark previously broke this season.

"This is just a place where a lot of my dreams came true," Clark said. "Probably the best moments of my entire life."     

Dubbed "Ponytail Pete," Clark now trails only AIAW Division II scoring leader Pearl Moore, who put up 4,061 points from 1975-79 for Francis Marion in South Carolina in the former Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) that pre-dated the NCAA.

Caitlin Clark Started The Game Slowly As Far As Scoring

Clark started slow in the first quarter with just six points, making only 2 of 7 shots from the field with a pair of 3-pointers in five attempts. But soon, she got rolling.

Pete Maravich's record fell to Caitlin Clark on Sunday (Getty Images).

"Move Over Pistol Pete," read a sign held up by a young girl in the stands. "Caitlin Clark Is Making Her-story."

And that she did.

"She's a pistol in her own right - with a ponytail," FOX play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson said.