Lisa Bluder shares Michigan gave Caitlin Clark a gift, notes after hitting scoring record

Michigan showed true sportsmanship and respect for Iowa guard Caitlin Clark as she made history against the Wolverines on Thursday. Clark poured in 49 points to pass Kelsey Plum as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball history as the Hawkeyes handed Michigan a 106-89 loss.

Although it had to be a difficult loss for the Wolverines players, they didn’t lose sight of the significance of Clark’s achievement. Because Clark only needed eight points heading into the contest to break the record, Michigan prepared a gift to give her postgame.

Each member of the team also wrote notes of congratulations to the Hawkeyes star.

“Michigan came in here in a tough scenario,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. “They’re playing in a tough situation. I thought they played a great game. They gave Caitlin a gift after the game and every one of those players wrote her a note. I am so glad that we have people in the Big Ten that understand the importance of this and the importance for women’s basketball. I just think Michigan, that was a really class way for them to handle this. I appreciate Kim (Barnes Arico) for what she did.”

It didn’t take long into the game for Clark to score the eight points she needed. She hit her first two shots — a layup and a 3-pointer — to set her up for the record-setting basket. Just a little more than two minutes in, she stopped and pulled up for a 35-foot 3-pointer from the Hawkeyes logo and drained it to make history.

That was only the beginning of the scoring show that Clark would put on that evening as she had 28 points by the end of the first half. She finished the game 16-of-31 from the floor and 9-of-18 from 3-point range. The all-time scoring record wasn’t the one Clark broke Thursday night, as her 49 points were also the most in a single game in Iowa history.

If all that weren’t impressive enough, she added 13 assists to record her 58th double-double of her career. It truly was a spectacular display as she proved why she is one of, if not the, greatest women’s college basketball players we’ve ever seen.

Even her opponents recognize that, and Michigan’s gesture toward Clark after the game was proof.

“We sent three people at (Clark),” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “She’s incredible, she’s incredible, she’s incredible. People besides us have trouble trying to stop her.”

Now that the scoring record is behind her, Clark will focus on closing out the season strong as she hopes to lead Iowa to a national championship. The Hawkeyes have four more games remaining in the regular season, beginning with a matchup against Indiana on Thursday.