Iowa's Caitlin Clark - Colliding with Buckeyes fan 'kind of scary'

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark – Colliding with Buckeyes fan ‘kind of scary’،

Alexa Philippou, ESPNJanuary 21, 2024, 8:20 p.m.
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- Covers women's college basketball and the WNBA
- Previously covered UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Courant
- Stanford graduate and Baltimore native with additional experience at the Dallas Morning News, Seattle Times and Cincinnati Enquirer

Reigning national player of the year Caitlin Clark and an Ohio State fan inadvertently collided Sunday afternoon as Buckeyes fans stormed the field following Ohio State's 100-92 loss the team in overtime against No. 2 Iowa.

Several videos posted by fans on social media show an Ohio State fan running toward a crowd gathered at half court, then crashing into Clark as she ran off the floor. Clark fell to the ground and was immediately surrounded by arena staff and her Iowa teammates to check on her.

Clark told reporters after the game that she just had the wind in her sails, but that it was a “kind of scary” situation that could have been worse.

The superstar guard, who scored 45 points in the loss, said Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith had already apologized to her for the incident and that she “really appreciated that.”

“It comes from the territory,” said Clark, who leads the nation in scoring (31.0 points per game) and is second in assists (7.7 per game). “I'm sure they tried their best to do everything they could, obviously it didn't work and it's disappointing. My focus now is on the game and how we can improve.”

The loss ended Iowa's 15-game winning streak and was its first loss in Big Ten play.

No. 20 Ohio State had 18,660 spectators, the largest attendance for a regular-season women's basketball game this season.