Caitlin Clark is wasting no time showing everyone why she is one of the best women’s basketball players in college hoops.
The Iowa Hawkeyes star scored 44 points in Iowa’s 80-76 win over the Virginia Tech Hokies on Thursday night at the Spectrum Center, the home of the Charlotte Hornets after putting 28 points in the season opener against FDU.
Clark shot 13-of-31 from the field and 5-for-16 from 3-point range while grabbing eight rebounds and six assists.
The effort was Clark’s ninth career 40-point game, tying University of Washington alum Kelsey Plum for most in Division I basketball in the past 25 seasons, according to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.
“She is a generational player and we are going to watch this young lady play for a very long time and she is going to play at a very high level,” Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks said after the game, per the Associated Press.
Thursday also marked the third-most points that she’s scored in a single game over the course of her career.
Additionally, Clark now has five career games with 40 points, five rebounds and five assists, which includes three against AP Top-10 opponents, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Clark’s biggest contribution came during the game’s second half when she scored 26 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter.
In fact, the Iowa star scored seven of the Hawkeyes’ first nine fourth-quarter points.
And Clark found three separate occasions to come through for Iowa in the game’s closing seconds as Virginia Tech pulled within four twice in the last 29 ticks.
Clark hit a clutch free throw with five seconds left to push the Hawkeyes’ lead to four.
Clark, who has become a household name for basketball fans, mesmerized the fans who tuned in for the battle between Iowa and Virginia Tech.
“It seems like there are a lot of people that are just fans of our game, whether it is Iowa fans or Virginia Tech fans or just people that are here to support women’s basketball,” Clark said after the game, per the AP. “And that is why this game was put on is because they understand how great women’s basketball is and how much it is growing.”
Even former NBA superstar Dwyane Wade couldn’t help but be taken aback by the way she plays.
“I’m drinking some Wade Rose Wine and watching women’s college hoops! Caitlin Clark is simply good at basketball! That’s all,” Wade wrote on X.
Iowa is back in action on Sunday against Northern Iowa for its third game of the season.