In basketball, points are the sum of the score accumulated through free throw or field goal.[1] While the NCAA's current three-division format has been in place since the 1973–74 season, the organization did not sponsor women's sports until the 1981–82 school year; before that time, women's college sports were governed by the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). The NCAA has officially recorded scoring statistics since it first sponsored women's basketball. Official scoring leaders are based solely on per-game average, not total points. While the NCAA maintains a ranked list of players by total points within each season on its official website, it does not include seasonal leaders in total points in its printed record books.
Unlike for men's basketball, the NCAA does not keep records of the top scorers (by total points) for a single season. Records of the top scorer (by average points per game) for each season and scorers with more than 900 points in a season are however available.
Patricia Hoskins holds the single-season scoring record on a per-game basis with a mark of 33.6 points per game (ppg) set in 1988–89, during her senior season at Mississippi Valley State.
The majority of per-game scoring leaders are seniors. In 1983–84, Delta State's Deborah Temple became the first junior to lead NCAA Division I in scoring. The 1995–96 season saw Maine's Cindy Blodgett become the first sophomore and first underclassmen to lead in scoring. Kelsey Mitchell (2014–15) and Caitlin Clark (2020–21) are the only freshmen to lead Division I in scoring.
Clark (2020–21, 2021–22, and 2023–24) is the only player to lead Division I women's basketball in scoring three times. Six other players have led Division I women's basketball in scoring twice. Andrea Congreaves (1991–92 and 1992–93) was the first to accomplish this feat, followed by Blodgett (1995–96 and 1996–97), Jackie Stiles (1999–2000 and 2000–01), Alysha Clark (2008–09 and 2009–10), Jerica Coley (2012–13 and 2013–14), and Megan Gustafson (2017–18 and 2018–19).
In regards to total points, Caitlin Clark currently holds the single-season scoring record for NCAA Division I of 1,234 points, set during her final season at Iowa in 2023–24.[2] She is also the only NCAA Division I women's basketball player who scored more than 1,000 points in more than one season (2022–23 and 2023–24).[3]
In the tables below, all schools are listed with their current athletic brand names, which do not always match those used by a team in the relevant season.
- ^ "Basketball glossary". FIBA.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
- ^ Bohnenkamp, John (March 25, 2024). "Clark scores 32 as top seed Iowa survives to top West Virginia, 64-54". Associated Press. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
- ^ Voepel, Michael (March 9, 2024). "Iowa's Caitlin Clark sets Big Ten Tournament's all-time scoring mark". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 9, 2024.