Caitlin Clark’s step-back logo three buzzer-beater is her sweetest play yet
Long live Caitlin Clark.
Caitlin Clark has already given the sport of basketball so much, and every game she continues to play for the Iowa Hawkeyes is a gift to be cherished. Clark has essentially been a top-3 player in women’s college basketball since she stepped foot on campus, and her legend seems to grow exponentially with each year. Last season, Clark led the Hawkeyes to their first ever appearance in the national championship game, and though Iowa lost to LSU, the game was so captivating and so controversial that it’s continued to spark discussion into this season.
What can Clark do for an encore? You can start with the scoring records and other statistical milestones she seems to be accomplishing every week. Only looking at Clark’s numbers, ridiculous as they are, doesn’t do her justice. Now in her fourth year with Iowa, Clark is still making magic happen, and Michigan State learned it the hard way on Tuesday night.
Clark had the ball in her hands in a tie game with the clock ticking down in regulation. She went into a step-back three-pointer from the Hawkeyes logo at center court, released the ball just before the final buzzer, and swished the shot for the win. This is beauty, this is grace. Watch Clark’s buzzer-beater here.
Walk-off Winner @CaitlinClark22 x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/BXqARKRcuA
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) January 3, 2024
Iowa wins, 76-73. Sure is nice to have Caitlin Clark on your team.
Have you ever heard a louder swish than that before? NBC knows how to mic up those nets.
Clark took more shots in this game than the rest her teammates combined — 34 field goal attempts for Clark, 33 for the rest of her teammates. Somehow, a workload that would make Luka Doncic blush is for the good of the team. Clark ended this night with 20 missed shots, and still finished with 40 points and five assists in the win, including 8-of-20 from three-point range.
Yep, 20 three-point attempts in one game. An NBA has taken 20 or more threes only 26 times in league history. This is a truly rare sight at any level of the game, and for Clark, attempt No. 20 was the sweetest of them all.
Read my profile on Clark from 2022. Her story is still being written, and it’s only getting better.