Delaware’s Elena Delle Donne became the fastest female player in NCAA DI history to reach 2,000 career points. 42 losses against Hofstra on 16 February 2012 in her 75th career game.
More than a decade later, Iowa’s Kaitlyn Clarke also won her 75th career game on Dec. 21, 2022 against Dartmouth, matching Dele Dunn with a 20-point effort. Her 2,000th career point came on her 3-pointer in the first half.
“Elena delle Donne, she was someone I idolized growing up,” Clark said after overturning Milestone. “I have her shoes in my locker.”
We thought it would be fun to compare how each player reached the 2K mark. I’ve looked at both players his way to 2,000 and there are a few things that stand out.
- Their average scores are about the same.Dele Donne Average 26.7 points in Delaware.Clerk Overnight average of 26.8 Almost halfway through the junior season.
- Clark scores 1,000 points in his 40th game Continuing from last season, 38 matches for Dele Donne.
- Delle Donne was top scorer once (2012) College Career. Clark wins again (2021, 2022) and is currently the third highest scorer in the country.
- Both players scored their 2,000th career point with 3 points.
Here are the details on how each player reached 2,000:
Delle Donne finished her freshman season with 774 points. This includes his career-high 54 points. After battling injuries as her sophomore year, she became the fastest player to surpass 2,000 towards the end of her junior season in February 2012.
๐๐ญ’๐ฌ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ญ, ๐๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ค ๐คฉ
The moment she won number 2,000! pic.twitter.com/y552HdtLakโ Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) December 21, 2022
Here is Dele Donne’s career in Delaware:
| Year | GS | average | FG % | Total score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-10 | 28 | 26.7 | 47.7 | 774 |
| 2010-11 | twenty one | 25.3 | 41.9 | 557 |
| 2011-12 | 32 | 28.1 | 52 | 927 |
| 2012-13 | 30 | 26 | 48.7 | 781 |
history: DI Women’s Basketball Championship Program
By comparison, Clark has scored more points than Delle Don in the first two seasons. The Delaware legend junior 927 ranks his 14th in scoring in a single season. Clarke scored a career-high 46 points in his sophomore campaign, reaching at least his 40 in four total.
Kaitlyn Clarke signed autographed shoes for a fan after her 2,000th game.
Here are the Hawkeye stats:
| Year | GS | average | FG % | Total score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | 30 | 26.6 | 47.2 | 799 |
| 2021-22 | 32 | 27 | 45.2 | 863 |
| 2022-23* | 13 | 27 | 46.1 | 351 |
*Games through December 21, 2022
With 16 games left in the regular season, Clarke is on pace to score 2,445 total points outside of conference and NCAA Tournament games. Barring injuries, the model would see Clark finish his NCAA career with his 3,000-plus points. Delle Donne reached the milestone in less than 115 games.
These are the all-time leading scorers in women’s DI college basketball.
| player | team | last season | point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelsey Plum | Washington | 2017 | 3,527 |
| Kelsey Mitchell | ohio street | 2018 | 3,402 |
| Jackie Stiles | Missouri | 2001 | 3,393 |
| Britney Griner | Baylor | 2013 | 3,283 |
| Patricia Hoskins | Mississippi Valley | 1989 | 3,122 |
| Rory Bauman | Drake | 1984 | 3,115 |
| jerica corey | FIUs | 2014 | 3,107 |
| Rachel Banham | Minnesota | 2016 | 3,093 |
| Elena Delle Donne | Delaware | 2013 | 3,039 |
| Maya Moore | U Conn | 2011 | 3,036 |
| shamik holdclaw | Tennessee | 1999 | 3,025 |
| Sheryl Miller | Southern California | 1986 | 3,018 |
| Cindy Blodgett | maine | 1998 | 3,005 |
| latoya thomas | Mississippi | 2003 | 2,981 |
| Valorie Whiteside | Appalachia | 1988 | 2,944 |
| Kelly Mazante | Pennsylvania | 2004 | 2,919 |
| Joyce Walker | LSUs | 1984 | 2,906 |
| Jess Kovac | Saint Francis (PA) | 2019 | 2,874 |
| Kevin Looper | Oral Roberts | 2013 | 2,867 |
| Alisha Clark | Belmont/Middle Ten. | 2010 | 2,865 |
| Heather Butler | UT Martin | 2014 | 2,865 |
| Sandra Hodge | new orleans | 1984 | 2,860 |
| Andrea Riley | Oklahoma | 2010 | 2,835 |
| jantel lavender | Ohio | 2011 | 2,818 |
| Megan Gustafson | Iowa | 2019 | 2,804 |
