Caitlin Clark leads Iowa past Wisconsin, passes Brittney Griner in scoring

Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Caitlin Clark netted a game-high 32 points to lead Iowa to a victory over Wisconsin and passed former Baylor star Brittney Griner for fourth place on the women's college basketball scoring list.

The All-American guard made 8 of 18 shots and six 3-pointers in the 96-50 blowout victory Tuesday in Iowa City. She also logged seven rebounds, five assists and four steals for the No. 2 Hawkeyes (18-1).

"It's hard for me to wrap my head around," Clark told reporters, when asked about passing Griner. "I'm just trying to stay in the moment and enjoy every single second of it."

Former Washington guard Kelsey Plum leads the women's all-time scoring list, with 3,527 career points. Former guards Kelsey Mitchell (3,402) of Ohio State and Jackie Stiles (3,393) of Southwest Missouri sit in second and third, respectively.

Clark (3,306) passed Griner (3,283) with a free throw about three minutes into the second quarter of Tuesday's win.

The Hawkeyes, who are on a 15-game winning streak, made 47.5% of their shots, including 40.5% of their 3-point attempts. They totaled 25 assists, 17 steals and missed just three of 26 free throw attempts against the Badgers.

Clark scored seven points in the first quarter, helping the Hawkeyes take a 19-15 lead into the second. She poured in a dozen over the next 10 minutes. The Hawkeyes, who outscored the Badgers 27-15 in the second quarter, led 46-30 at halftime.

They continued their dominance over the next 10 minutes, outscoring the Badgers 30-14 in the third. Clark scored another 13 points in the frame. She did not score in the fourth, when the Hawkeyes outscored the Badgers 20-6.

Katie Martin totaled 16 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals in the victory. Fellow Hawkeyes guard Sydney Affolter totaled 12 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals off the bench.

Badgers forward Serah Williams totaled 19 points and 14 rebounds in the loss.

Clark, who is averaging a national-best 31 points per game, needs 222 to pass Plum for the women's points record. She needs 362 points to pass former LSU guard Pete Maravich for the overall points record in men's or women's college basketball.

Clark needs 97 to pass Mitchell and 88 to pass Stiles.

The Hawkeyes have 11 regular-season games remaining. They will then play the Big Ten tournament and the Division I women's basketball tournament. Clark could pass Maravich in 14 games if she stays at her current points average.

The Hawkeyes will face No. 18 Ohio State (14-3) at noon EST Sunday in Columbus, Ohio. The Badgers (8-10) will host Minnesota (14-3) at 9 p.m. Tuesday in Madison, Wis.