IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa freshman Caitlin Clark was named Big Ten Women’s Basketball Player and Freshman of the Week, the conference announced Monday.
Clark has tallied 20 Big Ten Weekly honors on the season, including a Big Ten best 12 freshman honors, a Big Ten record five Big Ten Player of the Week honors as a freshman, and three Player of the Week Honor Roll nods. Minnesota’s Amanda Zahui B. previously held the record for most Player of the Week nods by a freshman. Clark’s five Big Ten Player of the Week honors as a freshman believed to be an NCAA record.
In three games last week, Clark averaged 26.3 points, 10 assists, and five rebounds. She also added three blocks and three steals. In the three contests, Clark was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line.
Against No. 8 Maryland, Clark posted 29 points in the first half to break the program’s All-Time Freshman Scoring record. Clark finished the game with 34 total points against the Terrapins. Clark recorded her fifth consecutive and ninth-season 30-point game. Her nine 30-point games and five-consecutive are believed to be the most by a freshman in NCAA Division I women’s basketball since 2000. Clark’s nine 3-pointers are the most from a Hawkeye against a Big Ten opponent since Melissa Dixon recorded nine at Northwestern on Jan. 29, 2015. Clark finished the game with seven assists, three rebounds, and a steal.
In the Hawkeyes’ win over No. 12 Michigan, Clark tallied 27 points, nine assists, five rebounds, a block, and a steal. Clark was 7-for-12 (.583) from beyond the arc and 10-17 (.588) from the field.
In Iowa’s final game of the week at Wisconsin, Clark recorded her seventh career double-double, knocking down 18 points and dishing out a career-high 14 assists. Clark broke the Iowa women’s basketball all-time freshman assist record with 149 on the season, surpassing former Hawkeye Kathleen Doyle, who recorded 148 freshman assists during the 2016-17 season. Clark added two blocks and a steal to her stat line to finish the game.
Clark and the Hawkeyes travel to Bloomington, Indiana, to take on the No. 11 Hoosiers on Wednesday, March 3 inside Assembly Hall. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. (CT) on Big Ten Network.
