Lynette Woodard backtracks on Caitlin Clark comments

Lynette Woodard had a busy weekend.

The women's basketball pioneer, who played at Kansas from 1978-81 - before the NCAA recognized women's sports, which it began doing in 1982 - is the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women large-school all-time scoring leader with 3,649 points.

Of course, this season Iowa's Caitlin Clark became the highest scoring player in college basketball history.

According to The Athletic, on Saturday Woodard said that she thought she still held the record at the Women's Basketball Coaches Association convention in Cleveland.

"My record was hidden from everyone for 43 years. I'll just go ahead and get the elephant out of the room: I don't think my record has been broken because you can't duplicate what you're not duplicating," Woodard said. "Unless you come with a men's basketball, and a two-point shot, hey, you know.

"You can help me spread the word."

But on Sunday after Clark and Iowa lost to South Carolina in the NCAA Women's Championship Game, Woodard released a statement on social media, saying "Caitlin holds the scoring record." 

"To clarify my remarks made at an awards ceremony on Saturday, no one respects Caitlin Clark's accomplishments more than I do. This is why I accepted Iowa's invitation to participate in Caitlin's senior day," Woodard wrote in her statement. "My message was: A lot has changed, on and off the court, which makes it difficult to compare statistical accomplishments from different eras. Each is a snapshot in time "

After South Carolina's win on Sunday, its coach Dawn Staley - herself one of the great women's players of all time - saluted Clark for how she has brought more attention to women's college basketball because of her brilliant and record-setting college career.

Clark finished her career with 3,951 points.

Woodard was a four-time All-American and was the first woman to have her jersey retired. She is a member of both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Woodard was also the first woman to ever play for a men's professional basketball team when she joined the Harlem Globetrotters in 1985.