Caitlin Clark passes Stephen Curry for most 3-pointers in a season in Division I history

It took a little longer than expected, but Caitlin Clark broke yet another NCAA record. She drained her first three-pointer of the night in Iowa’s fourth quarter of the Big Ten Tournament opener on Friday night – and in the process, she passed Stephen Curry for the most three-pointers in a season in Division I history.

Clark had a rough go to start the game, missing her first 11 attempts from downtown. When the fourth quarter got underway, though, she finally broke through and added another record to her growing resume.

Clark just missed out on a triple-double as she finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to help Iowa to the 95-62 victory over Penn State. That means the Hawkeyes will advance to the Big Ten semifinals on Saturday.

CAITLIN 👏 CLARK 👏 @CaitlinClark22 x @IowaWBB pic.twitter.com/BX08zn7Ne4

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 9, 2024

Curry made 162 three-pointers during the 2007-08 season – his final year at Davidson before heading to the NBA, where he became the all-time leader in three-point field goals made. Clark added another to her tally after passing Curry’s record, giving her 164 threes this season.

Clark became the face of college basketball with her record-setting season. Viewership skyrocketed as she approached Kelsey Plum to become the top scorer in NCAA women’s basketball history, and the Ohio State game when she broke Pete Maravich’s Division I scoring record drew 3.4 million viewers. That made it the most-watched women’s college basketball game since at least 2010, according to Sports Media Watch, as the “Caitlin Clark Effect” continued.

Beyond the scoring records and the accolades as Clark won Big Ten Player of the Year for a third straight season, her playing style adds to the draw. She entered the sold-out conference tournament in the midst of a career year, averaging 32.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.7 rebounds as a senior.

After the postseason, Clark will take her talents to the professional level. She declared for the WNBA Draft prior to last week’s Senior Night game against Ohio State, and she is widely viewed as the No. 1 pick. That also means her college career will come to an end when Iowa’s season is over – and she’ll leave the state for the first time when she presumably goes to the Indiana Fever with the top selection.

By heading to the WNBA, Clark will also be able to take her rapidly growing brand to the professional ranks. Her On3 NIL Valuation has skyrocketed to $3.1 million, which puts her at No. 4 in the On3 NIL 100 – the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation. She also sits atop the On3 College Women’s Basketball NIL Ranking.