How many points does Caitlin Clark need to break NCAA record after beating Penn State? Looking at Iowa guard's recent performance against Lions 

Iowa Hawkeyes superstar Caitlin Clark continued her inexorable march towards the NCAA women's basketball scoring record held by Kelsey Plum (3,527 points) with a sensational performance against the Penn State Nittany Lions on Thursday.

Averaging 32.2 points this season, the record-chasing Clark registered 27 points and five rebounds against the Nittany Lions but showed her selfless side by dishing out 15 assists. She's just 39 points away from the record and could break it against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Super Bowl Sunday.

Iowa coach Lisa Bluder dismissed the razzmatazz around the record as she brought back the focus to the game.

“We were just trying to win the game,” said Bluder. “It's going to happen. That's not important. It's important to win this game.”

The Cornhuskers' home arena, the Pinnacle Bank Arena, was sold out by Jan. 24, as fans bought up tickets to witness the record being broken.

The crowd is expected to top the 14,239 from last season's Hawkeyes visit and will likely be the biggest in 50 years. According to the Nebraska athletic department, the Caitlin Clark effect is real.

In case she doesn't break the record against Nebraska, tickets for the home game at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena against Michigan are retailing for $308 on Ticketmaster.

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Caitlin Clark passes the torch to Hanna Stuelke

It does not happen very often, especially not in the middle of an irrepressible run of form, as the superstar Caitlin Clark marches towards the record but got overshadowed.

Hannah Stuelke scoring 47 points against the Nittany Lions stole the headlines from Clark who could break the record in the Hawkeyes' next game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Caitlin Clark, though, did not hold back in her praise of Stuelke:

"I think that's what everyone's been waiting for," Clark said. "She's had glimpses of being really, really great like that, but we all know how good she is.

"I'm just proud of her. She works so hard, she's put in so much time, especially this summer. Been dealing with a little bit of a knee injury. To come out here and play like that, it's exactly what we needed."

With Caitlin Clark expected to declare for the 2024 WNBA Draft and get picked No. 1 overall, the night against the Nittany Lions seemed like the moment when she passed the torch to Hannah Stuelke.