Tag: women’s basketball

Caitlin Clark is 103 points from the all-time record

Only one name left to pass for Caitlin Clark in the chase for 3,527

Very few players have achieved rockstar status like Caitlin Clark has in a short time. Especially in a sport that hasn’t been on the same level as their male counterparts, until now.

Millions of people tuned in last season for an epic showdown between Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes and Angel Reese’s LSU Tigers. Almost 10 million viewers tuned in for the game and it peaked at 12.6 million viewers making the national championship the most-watched women’s game on record.

This season, whether at home or on the road, fans are selling out arenas to get a chance to watch history in the making. Caitlin Clark now sits at No. 2 all-time behind former Washington basketball star Kelsey Plum. Clark is just 103 points away from tying the all-time mark. Given that the Iowa star is averaging 32.1 points per game, the math says roughly over three games.

Over the last five outings, Clark has been on fire averaging 36 points per game. Against the Wildcats, she was able to score 35 points to go with 6 rebounds and 10 assists. Clark passed Jackie Stiles (3,393) and Kelsey Mitchell (3,402) to put herself firmly in the No. 2 spot.

Iowa’s upcoming schedule:

At the very latest, Clark should set the all-time mark against the Wolverines at home the day after Valentine’s.

Women’s basketball national scoring leaders as of Jan. 21 (and steals)

Thankfully, the person at the top of this list is OK.

Sunday brought the attention on the top women’s scorer in the country for all the wrong reasons. She collided with a fan who had stormed the court at the end of the game and was knocked down. Fortunately, she wasn’t injured. Here’s how far ahead she is among the other top scorers on the list and their steals numbers, including Notre Dame’s representative, who also leads the country in steals:

Women’s basketball national scoring leaders as of Jan. 14 (and steals)

Hannah Hidalgo is her.

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] is getting to the point where she’s breaking Notre Dame records. It’s only a matter of time before she starts threatening national records, too. She’s been that good, and she has no concerns about slowing down anytime soon. So let’s see how she ranks among the national scoring leaders and add in the steals averages that Hidalgo continues to impress with:

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark climbs to No. 5 on the women’s all-time scoring list

It won’t be long until Caitlin Clark sets the new standard.

The 2023-24 women’s college basketball season is expected to be historic. South Carolina, UCLA, Iowa, North Carolina State, and LSU were ranked No. 1-5 in last week’s women’s coaches poll. The five schools are a combined 72-3.

On an individual level, all eyes are on No. 22 for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Caitlin Clark is posting the best numbers of her career and she is closing in on a historic mark. Clark is just 309 points behind Kelsey Plum’s all-time record of 3,527 points.

Given that Clark is currently averaging 31.3 points per game, it isn’t hard to see that she could set the new standard by mid-February. Iowa still has 14 games left in the regular season. This means by season’s end there will be a new scoring champ in women’s college basketball. The Iowa star could even return next season to exponentially grow the all-time scoring mark.

Clark currently trails Kelsey Plum of Washington (3,527), Kelsey Mitchell of Ohio State (3,402), Jackie Stiles of Missouri State (3,393), and Brittney Griner of Baylor (3,283) on the all-time list.

With the popularity of women’s college basketball continuing to grow thanks in large part to the efforts of Clark, Iowa, and last year’s national championship game, plenty of eyes will be on No. 22 as she continues to chase history.

For more on Caitlin Clark and Iowa women’s basketball coverage, check out Hawkeyes Wire. 

Notre Dame women’s basketball looks to rebound tonight at Pitt

Go get em Irish!

The 2023-24 ACC season didn’t get off to the start Notre Dame (9-2, 0-1) women’s basketball wanted as they fell at Syracuse on New Year’s Eve.

The Fighting Irish look to rebound Thursday night as they continue their ACC road trip at Pittsburgh (6-8, 0-1).  The Panthers were dominated in their ACC opener, losing 91-41 to Virginia Tech.

Liatu King is the Pitt star to keep an eye on as she leads the Panthers in scoring (19.6), and rebounds (9.5).  She led the way with 19 points in the defeat to Virginia Tech.

Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. ET Thursday night and can be seen on the ACC Network.

Notre Dame dominates Purdue – quick recap

It’s always good to beat Purdue!

The No. 14 Notre Dame women’s basketball team had no trouble at all against in-state rival Purdue Sunday, trouncing the Boilermakers 76-39.

Hannah Hidalgo had a great floor game for the Irish as she led in nearly every category.  Her 23 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, and 7 steals played a huge part in the game being such a blowout.

Nat Marshall was huge for Notre Dame, blocking six shots and scoring 14 points in the victory.

Notre Dame started hot, jumping out to an 11-0 lead before Purdue scored a point.  The Boilermakers bounced back quickly with a 7-0 run themeselves but that was about as close as things would get.

Notre Dame held Purdue to just 7 second quarter points and held a 35-18 halftime advantage in which they never looked back.

Before the game, a Muffet McGraw statue was unveiled outside Purcell Pavillion.  Much of the sold out crowd attended that ceremony before stepping in and watching the Irish dominate.

Notre Dame is now 8-1 on the season and hosts Western Michigan on Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.

Kateri Poole no longer with LSU women’s basketball team, Kim Mulkey says

LSU head coach Kim Mulkey confirmed Poole was no longer with the program but did not comment on the reason for the dismissal.

LSU women’s basketball coach announced guard Kateri Poole is no longer with the team after the Tigers’ game on Sunday.

Mulkey did not comment on whether Poole’s departure from the program was disciplinary or whether the decision was hers or Poole’s.

Poole posted an Instagram story with the words “(T)hank you tiger nation” over a photo of the national championship trophy LSU won a season ago.

The junior transferred to LSU before the 2022-23 season after spending the first two years of her career at Ohio State. The guard appeared in 35 games during the Tigers’ national championship run, averaging 4.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. She shot 36.6% from the floor and a career-high 45.2% on 3-pointers last season.

Poole appeared in four games so far this season for LSU, most recently on November 17 against Southeast Louisiana.

The departure comes weeks after star forward Angel Reese missed four games in November for undisclosed reasons, with Mulkey hinting at “locker room issues” the team needed to move past.

Get more LSU coverage at LSU Wire.

Notre Dame downs Lady Vols in ACC/SEC Challenge

Irish win a battle of blue bloods!

Despite trailing by as many as 16 points in the third quarter Wednesday night Notre Dame was able to rally and beat Tennessee in the ACC/SEC Challenge, 74-69.

The Fighting Irish women’s basketball team improved to 6-1 on the year after rallying in Konxville.

Notre Dame fought hard to get back in the game as KK Ransford finally gave the Irish the lead via a free throw with just 47 seconds to play.  From there it turned into a free throw fest for Notre Dame as they eventually won by the final four-point margin.

Maddy Westbeld and Natalija Marshall led Notre Dame in scoring, putting up 15 points each in the victory.

The win is Notre Dame’s sixth-straight (6-1) after dropping the season opener to South Carolina.  Tennessee falls to just 4-3.

Connecticut’s Azzi Fudd will miss the rest of the 2023-24 season

The Huskies guard will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a torn ACL and a medial meniscal tear in her right knee.

Connecticut guard Azzi Fudd will miss the rest of the 2023-24 season after she suffered an ACL tear and a medial meniscal tear in her right knee, the school announced on Wednesday.

The junior suffered the injury in a practice session on November 14. She will undergo season-ending surgery to repair the damage.

“We’re all just so upset for Azzi,” head coach Geno Auriemma said in a statement. “She worked so hard to be healthy for this season, and it’s unfortunate when you put in a lot of hard work and suffer a setback like this.”

This is Fudd’s third major injury in three years with the Huskies. She only played 25 games as a freshman after dealing with a foot injury, and she played 15 games as a sophomore after knee injuries again sidelined her.

“Azzi loves the game and works tirelessly,” Auriemma said. “I’m confident she’ll rehab with the same work ethic and come back better than ever.”

Gators basketball earns commitment from Shaquille O’Neal’s daughter

The Florida women’s basketball program earned a signing from the daughter of legendary former-NBA star Shaquille O’Neal

The Florida women’s basketball team welcomes the daughter of legendary former NBA player Shaquille O’Neal to be a part of their squad.

Four-star recruit Me’Arah O’Neal in the 2024 cycle officially signed with the University of Florida this past Sunday afternoon, putting her name on the dotted line after only visiting the campus a single time.

O’Neal said she felt instantly connected with head coach Kelly Rae Finley and the campus, solidifying her decision.

“I went on the Florida visit, and I had a feeling that’s where I belonged,” O’Neal told ESPN. “And that I was going to be most successful if I went to go play at Florida. I felt like I connected with Coach Kelly more than I connected with any of the other schools that recruited me. She really cares about me not just on the court but off the court. That’s important for me.”

Her father, better known as Shaq, rose to fame playing for the LSU Tigers before being drafted in 1992 to the Orlando Magic. The NBA Hall of Famer didn’t want to influence his daughter’s decision too much, even while visiting the LSU campus.

“One of the best moments of my life, where I took her to my alma mater and they knew who she was,” O’Neal said. “But believe it or not, I tried to stay out of it. What I did tell her is, ‘Go where you’re needed, not where you’re wanted. Because if you go where you’re wanted and they got other people like you, may take a while.’ I want (my kids) to have their own journey, have their own experience.”

Me’Arah O’Neal is a four-star who is ranked No. 33 on the ESPNW scale. The Tennessee Volunteers, Kentucky Wildcats and LSU Tigers were all among the finalists before signing to Florida.

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