Most points in a Women's March Madness run: Where does Caitlin Clark rank on all-time list of scoring records?

Edward Sutelan

Most points in a Women's March Madness run: Where does Caitlin Clark rank on all-time list of scoring records? image

Caitlin Clark has no problem delivering on the NCAA's biggest stage.

In 11 NCAA Tournament games, she has averaged 28.4 points per contest, and last year, she was really on her A-game, averaging a whopping 31.8 points per game en route to leading Iowa to the national championship.

There have been plenty of memorable NCAA Division I Women's Tournament runs over the years, and hers might just top the list even though it didn't result in a title. 

Where does she rank all-time for most points scored in a single tournament? Here's what you need to know.

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Most points in March Madness run

Women's March Madness

Clark scored 191 points in her six games. That was enough for her to vault to the top of the record books and claim the most points scored in a single trip to the tournament.

She passed Sheryl Swoopes for the women's record, which the Texas Tech star had set at 177 points in 1993. Impressively, Swoopes hit that mark in only five games. She is the only player in the top nine to play in fewer than six games. Jackie Stiles also had her total of 140 games in five games.

Here's the list of the best women's tournament runs of all-time.

Rank Player Team Year Points
1 Caitlin Clark Iowa 2023 191
2 Sheryl Swoopes Texas Tech 1993 177
3 Chamique Holdsclaw Tennessee 1998 158
4 Diana Taurasi Connecticut 2003 157
5 Arike Ogunbowale Notre Dame 2019 155
6 Candice Wiggins Stanford 2008 151
7 Aari McDonald Arizona 2021 149
8 Arike Ogunbowale Notre Dame 2018 145
9 Maya Moore Connecticut 2010 144
10 Jackie Stiles Missouri State 2001 140

When it comes to scoring average, however, Clark doesn't quite reach the top. Among women to play at three tournament games, the minimum to qualify in the NCAA record books, Drake's Lorri Bauman holds the record at 36.7 points per game.

Clark's average of 31.8 points per game in 2023 ranks fifth among players, but it's the most for anyone to have played in more than three games. Sheryl Swoopes' average of 35.4, second-highest, is the only other to come in more than four games. Courtney Vandersloot, at 29.3 points per game in 2011, reached her average in exactly four games.

Rank Player Team Year Average
1 Lorri Bauman Drake 1982 36.7
2 Sheryl Swoopes Texas Tech 1993 35.4
3 Maddy Siegrist Villanova 2023 32.3
4 Kelsey Plum Washington 2017 32
5 Caitlin Clark Iowa 2023 31.8
6 Chennedy Carter Texas A&M 2018 31.3
T-7 Kelsey Mitchell Ohio State 2016 30.7
T-7 Chennedy Carter Texas 2019 30.7
9 LaTaunya Pollard Long Beach State 1983 29.3
10 Courtney Vandersloot Gonzaga 2011 29.3

March Madness

Clark didn't just set the record for the women's side. She surpassed all Division I basketball players for the most points scored in a single tournament run when she reached 191. 

Clark passed Michigan's Glen Rice, who scored 184 points in 1989, to claim the overall record among all collegiate Division I players. 

Here's a look at how the rankings shape up in men's or women's.

Rank League Player Team Year Points
1 Women's Caitlin Clark Iowa 2023 191
2 Men's Glen Rice Michigan 1989 184
T-3 Men's Bill Bradley Princeton 1965 177
T-3 Women's Sheryl Swoopes Texas Tech 1993 177
5 Men's Elvin Hayes Houston 1968 167
6 Men's Danny Manning Kansas 1988 163
T-7 Men's Hal Lear Temple 1956 160
T-7 Men's Jerry West West Virginia 1959 160
T-9 Men's Austin Carr Notre Dame 1970 158
T-9 Men's Joe Barry Carroll Purdue 1980 158
T-9 Women's Chamique Holdsclaw Tennessee 1998 158

When it comes to career scoring averages, the record is held by Notre Dame's Austin Carr at 52.7 points per game in three games in 1970. He's also second with an average of 41.7 points per game, which he reached in 1971.

Rank League Player Team Year Average
1 Men's Austin Carr Notre Dame 1970 52.7
2 Men's Austin Carr Notre Dame 1971 41.7
3 Women's Lorri Bauman Drake 1982 36.7
T-4 Men's Jerry Chambers Utah 1966 35.8
T-4 Men's Bo Kimble Loyola Marymount 1990 35.8
T-6 Men's Bill Bradley Princeton 1965 35.4
T-6 Women's Sheryl Swoopes Texas Tech 1993 35.4
8 Men's Clyde Lovellette Kansas 1952 35.2
9 Men's Jerry West West Virginia 1960 35
10 Men's Gail Goodrich UCLA 1965 35

Edward Sutelan

Edward Sutelan Photo

Edward Sutelan joined The Sporting News in 2021 after covering high school sports for PennLive. Edward graduated from The Ohio State University in 2019, where he gained experience covering the baseball, football and basketball teams. Edward also spent time working for The Columbus Dispatch and Cape Cod Times.