Has a player recorded a triple-double in women’s NCAA Tournament? Iowa’s Caitlin Clark makes history
Caitlin Clark delivered a performance to last in Sunday’s Iowa Elite Eight win over Louisville.
The junior guard had 41 points on 11-of-19 shooting — including 8 of 14 of 3 — and added 10 rebounds, 12 assists and three steals in the Hawkeyes’ 97-83 win. Not only was it the first triple-double in NCAA women’s tournament history, but no other triple-double in tournament history has even featured a 30-point game.
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That wasn’t the only story Clark made on Sunday: She also became the first player in Division I history with 900 points and 300 assists in a single season:
More importantly, Clark led Iowa to its first Final Four since the 1993 season. She has one more game to play — against South Carolina, the top overall winner, or Maryland, rival Big Ten — to add to her already incredible legacy.
The Sporting News looks at Clark’s triple-double performance and her place in NCAA tournament history:
Has a player made a triple-double in the women’s NCAA tournament?
Prior to Clark’s 41-10-12 game against Louisville, no other player in women’s tournament history had recorded a triple-double.
MORE: When is Caitlin Clark eligible to enter the WNBA draft?
Not even former Oregon star Sabrina Ionescu, who leads Division I basketball with 26 career triple-doubles, managed to do so in the postseason. Her closest game of that kind came in her junior season when she led the Ducks to an Elite Eight win over Mississippi State with 31 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and a steal.
How many triple doubles does Caitlin Clark have?
With her latest triple-double, Clark is now third all-time in Division I, men or women, with 11 triple-doubles. She is behind only Ionescu (26) and Kyle Collinsworth (12) of BYU. No other player in Division I history has more than nine.
Clark won her 10th triple-double in the Big Ten tournament championship on March 5 with a 105-72 win over Ohio State. She scored 30 points, gave out 17 assists and grabbed 10 rebounds for the win. It was the first triple-double in Big Ten title game history.
MORE: Caitlin Clark sets records, leading Hawkeyes to first Final Four since 1993
Players with NCAA tournament triple-doubles
With Clark’s performance against Louisville, there are now 10 players who have recorded a triple-double in an NCAA tournament game — nine men and one woman.
Clark is the first player since Murray State’s Ja Morant in 2019 to hit a triple-double in the NCAA tournament. She also has the opportunity to become the second player since Michigan State’s Draymond Green to record two during March Madness (Green made it in 2011 and 2012).
Here’s a chronological look at each of the previous triple-double appearances in NCAA tournament history:
| competition | player (team) | Round | statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Gary Grant (Michigan) | round 2 | 24 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists |
| 1992 | Shaquille O’Neal (LSU) | round 1 | 26 points, 13 rebounds, 11 blocks |
| 1993 | David Cain (St John’s) | round 1 | 12 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists |
| 1998 | Andre Miller (Utah) | Elite Eight | 18 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists |
| 2003 | Dwyane Wade (Marquette) | Elite Eight | 29 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists |
| 2009 | Cole Aldrich (Kansas) | round 2 | 13 points, 20 rebounds, 10 blocks |
| 2011 | Draymond Green, Michigan | round 1 | 23 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists |
| 2012 | Draymond Green, Michigan | round 1 | 24 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists |
| 2019 | Yes Morant (Murray State) | round 1 | 17 points, 11 rebounds, 16 assists |
| 2023 | Caitlin Clark (Iowa) | Elite Eight | 41 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists |