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Iowa's Caitlin Clark sets NCAA women's all-time scoring record
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark. Joseph Cress / USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK

Watch: Iowa's Caitlin Clark sets NCAA women's all-time scoring record

Caitlin Clark stands alone. 

On Thursday against Michigan, Clark finally cemented her place in the history books, surpassing 3,527 points to pass Kelsey Plum for the NCAA women's all-time scoring record. 

Fittingly, Clark set the mark in style, nailing a deep three while scoring No. 4 Iowa's first eight points of the game.  

Ahead of the game, Clark revealed that she wasn't anxious but "excited" about breaking the record while admitting that her date with history hasn't been a huge topic of conversation in the locker room.  

"It's going to be a very special night. I got a lot of family coming, so that will be a lot of fun," Clark said, via ESPN. "But, I think my main focus is just going out there and having a blast with my teammates and enjoying it." 

Clark's journey toward the record drew national attention to women's basketball, so much so that the broadcast of Thursday's contest was available only on Peacock and included a "Caitlin Cast" version focused entirely on Clark. 

The attention on Clark is warranted. Heading into Thursday, she'd already become the first Division I player to record 3,000 points and have 1,000 assists while breaking the Big Ten mark in assists and career points. Meanwhile, she was only 20 three-pointers away from setting the Big Ten conference mark (497). 

Her rise to basketball stardom has caused a positive buzz, helping put the women's game on the map. 

Iowa's matchup with No. 18 Ohio State on Jan. 23 was the most watched regular-season women's college basketball game since 2010, garnering an average of 1.93 million viewers. Meanwhile, ESPN and the NCAA recently agreed on an eight-year broadcasting deal worth $920 million, and it's hard to believe stars like Clark didn't have something to do with it. 

A future in the WNBA is on the horizon for Clark, even if she has a Hall of Fame doubter. For now, she has four more regular-season games to add to her record and a national title to pursue in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. 

Clark ended the game with a program-record 49 points for a grand total of 3,569 career points in Iowa's 106-89 win.

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