Iowa star Caitlin Clark did not break the NCAA women's basketball scoring record in Sunday's 82-79 upset road loss to Nebraska. But Aces guard and current record-holder Kelsey Plum mistakenly tweeted that she did.
"Congratulations on the record, and really your entire season!," Plum wrote in the social media post. "I appreciate what you do for the game, much respect and love! See you at the next level, hopefully sooner rather than later."
Plum corrected herself after the game, which saw Clark go scoreless in the fourth quarter to remain 8 points back of Plum's career mark.
My bad next game 😂 https://t.co/waUVTzGfWr
— Kelsey Plum (@Kelseyplum10) February 11, 2024
Clark headed into the game 39 points from passing up Plum, who sits at No. 1 with a total of 3,527 points. Before the Washington product, Missouri State's Jackie Stiles held the record.
That Clark did not break the record almost seems like a plan drawn up by Iowa, as the Hawkeyes senior almost certainly will break the record in her next game, which comes on her home court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. But Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder has been adamant about prioritizing wins over records.
When asked after the loss about the opportunity at to break the record at home, Clark said: "It's not really at the front of my mind right now."
Clark sits at 3,520 career points, 8 points shy of breaking Plum's record and 148 points shy of breaking Pete Maravich's overall record.
The Cornhuskers were able to eke past the Hawkeyes, with Jazz Shelley hitting Clark's signature "you can't see me" celebration after nailing a huge 3-point shot to upset Clark and her Hawkeyes in the last 30 seconds of the game.
Nebraska trailed by just four points at halftime, with Iowa holding a 39-35 edge. Shelley was a major part of that effort with three 3-pointers. Clark was a force on both offense and defense with 17 first-half points and 14 third-quarter points while playing solidly on the other side of the ball, but she went cold in the fourth quarter.
Still, Clark has denied feeling too much pressure from the record chase.
"I don't feel that much pressure," she told ESPN after Iowa's 111-93 victory over Penn State on Thursday. "I feel like, at this point, it's like 'when' it's going to happen, rather than me chasing it down.
"My main focus is just on winning, having fun, enjoying these environments because it's so special. I've been able to find a lot of calmness and peace in that, and it wasn't always that way in my career. Early on, I would get nervous for these types of games. I feel like my maturity has just grown a lot."
All eyes will be on Clark to surpass the record when Michigan heads to town 8 p.m. ET Thursday.
