A legendary rivalry that’s not given the flowers it deserves.
Caitlin Clark may be the greatest women’s college basketball player of the modern era as the all-time Division I scoring leader. However, there’s one woman who can confidently say she had Clark’s number at the college level. Veronica Burton.
In honor of their respective WNBA squads in the Indiana Fever and Golden State Valkyries facing off Thursday night, this is the story of Clark vs. Burton, in retrospect.
Act I: The First Meeting
Clark and the Indiana Fever were dominated by the New York Liberty in her debut inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, a matchup in which she posted nine points on 25% shooting.
The last time she posted single digits? In her debut inside Welsh-Ryan Arena on January 9 of 2021.
The first meeting between Clark and Burton was dominated by the ladder in a 77-67 ‘Cats victory. Clark had the second worst shooting performance of her college career, going 3-of-12 from the field for eight points, while turning the ball over four times. On the other hand, Burton torched the Hawkeyes for 18 on 66.6% shooting, going 3-of-4 from three while racking up three steals on the night.
There’s not much to unpack with this one — just a battle of youth against experience, where experience came out on top. However, the rest of this story gets much more competitive to say the least.
Act II: A Wild Wild (Mid)Western Shootout
Later that same year, the two programs met in Iowa City for a barnburner of a regular season matchup, where every star imaginable went off. In a 87-80 Northwestern win, star guards on both sides flooded the box score.
Let’s do a role call, shall we:
Lindsey Pullham? 27 points.
Veronica Burton? 20.
Monika Czinano? 34.
Caitlin Clark? 23.
Those who had the pleasure of watching this one on Big Ten Network were treated to a second half explosion from Pullham, where she destroyed Iowa with 22 points, 12 of those being from the virtue of the charity stripe.
The Achilles heel for Iowa was turnovers, a recurring problem for Clark in her freshman year. She had three that contributed to a team total 23. She was also one of the four starters who found themselves in foul trouble late in the game, giving way to a team total 25 fouls on the night.
Act III: A Signature Northwestern Basketball Win
Burton and Co. would claim a third straight win over the then No. 22 ranked Hawkeyes at home the following season.
This one was by far the most entertaining game, as Burton and Clark played completely unhinged, each putting up ridiculous numbers.
Burton finished the game with 25 points, six steals, six boards, and a career-high eight steals on the night, propelling herself into the top ten all-time in career steals amongst Big Ten competitors.
Clark, on the other hand, put up a 30 point performance while only hitting one three pointer in the contest — insanely impressive considering that the ‘Cats nullified her biggest weapon.
The difference proved to be a young Melanie Daley, who’s game-high nine field goals gave the first-year 22 on the night.
On the boards, NU out-rebounded Iowa 42-31, and forced 18 turnovers.
There’s a running theme that lies here — the ‘Cats doing the little things right. But that would soon become a non-factor.
Act IV: Clark Draws Blood
Caitlin Clark’s first win over Northwestern was one in which she needed a ton of help to topple the ghost of her Christmas past — meaning a 24 point outburst from Monika Czinano to add to a 26 point night of her own.
Despite finishing the contest with her 10th double-double of the 2021-22 season, Clark needed overtime to finally overcome Burton and the ‘Cats. That can be accredited to Iowa’s 25 turnovers, 11 of which belonged to the sophomore.
This game was a low-scoring, defensive dogfight, as the two Hawkeyes mentioned previously were the only ones to log double-digits on the night. On the other hand, NU’s scoring was better distributed amongst Burton, who had a team-best 19, Daley with 13, and Laya Hartman with 14.
Clark and Czinano were able to outlast the ‘Cats late, and carried Iowa to a 72-67 win.
Act V: The Finale
The final matchup between these two squads — which just so happened to be the final game of Veronica Burton’s Northwestern career — came in the 2022 Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
Burton went out with a bang, to say the least.
25 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocks in an effort to beat the 12th best team in the nation.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.
Clark and Czinano got the better of Burton once again, and led Iowa to a 13 point victory. The Hawkeyes did a much better job protecting the ball compared to matchups prior, while beating Northwestern on the glass and passing better as a team.
Iowa would go on to defeat Nebraska and Indiana to win the 2022 conference title before heading off to March Madness. They’d be bounced by 10-seed Creighton in a shocking second round upset at season’s end.
The Burton-Clark rivalry is one that ‘Cats fans shouldn’t forget anytime soon. This five-chapter story is one to be studied in the world of women’s basketball.