All-Time Women’s College Basketball Scoring – Top 30 Scorers
March 8, 2024
All-Time Women’s College Basketball Scoring – I was never the biggest fan of British tennis great Andy Murray. His on-the-court demeanor always struck me as a bit whiny; more often than not, I found myself actively rooting against him. But in 2017, during a Wimbledon post-match press conference, he made me a fan for life. Murray had just lost his quarterfinal match to American Sam Querrey. A reporter invited Murray to comment on the significance of an American advancing to a major semifinal.
“Sam [Querrey] is the first U.S. player to reach a major semifinal since 2009,” the reporter says. “How would you describe the—”
Murray cuts him off. “Male player,” he says. “Male player, right?”
It was a polite but powerful interjection, a rebuttal of the casual, pervasive sexism that erases the achievements of female athletes. Of course, Serena Williams—an American—had advanced to the semifinal multiple times since 2009. In fact, she’d done much more than that, winning the tournament outright in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, and 2016 (plus twice before 2009). Her sister Venus won Wimbledon five times prior to 2009, and she’d advanced to the semifinal in 2016.
All of that is to say: highlighting the achievements of female athletes takes on an added importance in a culture that routinely undervalues women’s sports. What follows is a list of the all time women’s college basketball scoring leaders since 1987.
All Time Women’s College Basketball Scoring
30) Becky Hammon – 2,740 points
- College: Colorado State
- Years Played: 1996-1999
Hammon is one of the few players on this list who made her mark in the 1990s. As we’ll see, most of the all time women’s college basketball scoring leaders were putting up their numbers in the 2000s and 2010s.
Hammon’s career is noteworthy for several reasons, chief among them her dominance as a point guard at Colorado State. She achieved All-American honors three times, and in 1999 she led the Rams to a 33-3 record and a spot in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet Sixteen. After graduating, Hammon played pro ball in the U.S., Spain, and Russia, and when her playing career came to an end, she joined the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach. In 2020, after Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was ejected, Hammon became the first woman acting head coach in NBA history.
29) Kyla McMakin – 2,767 points
- College: Saint Louis University
- Years Played: 2020-2024
28) Katelynn Flaherty – 2,776 points
- College: University of Michigan
- Years Played: 2015-2018
All Time Women’s College Basketball Scoring (Continued)
27) Angel McCoughtry – 2,779 points
- College: University of Louisville
- Years Played: 2006-2009
Angel McCoughtry broke records all throughout her college basketball career. In her sophomore year, she led the Big East Conference in scoring, rebounding, and steals, and recorded new all-time highs for Louisville in points per season, steals per season, and points in a game. The following year, she’d go on to break those records.
McCoughtry continued her dominance in the WNBA. She was drafted as the first overall pick in 2009, and for ten years played for the Atlanta Dream, leading the league in scoring in 2012 and 2013.
26) Andrea Congreaves – 2,796 points
- College: Mercer University
- Years Played: 1990-1993
Apart from being one of the all time women’s college basketball scoring leaders, Andrea Congreaves has the distinction of becoming the first female athlete out of the UK to play in the WNBA. Prior to her pro career, she led the Mercer Bears to two ACC championships in 1991 and 1992. In her junior and senior seasons at Mercer, Congreaves led the NCAA in scoring.
25) Crystal Kelly – 2,803 points
- College: Western Kentucky University
- Years Played: 2005-2008
All Time Women’s College Basketball Scoring (Continued)
24) Megan Gustafson – 2,804 points
- College: University of Iowa
- Years Played: 2016-2019
23) Jantel Lavender – 2,818 points
- College: Ohio State University
- Years Played: 2008-2011
As with all of the all time women’s college basketball scoring leaders, Jantel Lavender’s basketball career is highly decorated. At Ohio State, she was named the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Player of the Year in every one of her four seasons. That makes her just one of three players to become a four-time conference player of the year.
22) Andrea Riley – 2,835 points
- College: Oklahoma State University
- Years Played: 2007-2010
All Time Women’s College Basketball Scoring (Continued)
21) Cierra Hooks – 2,843 points
- College: University of Ohio
- Years Played: 2018-2022
19) (T) Heather Butler – 2,865 points
- College: Tennessee-Martin University
- Years Played: 2011-2014
19) (T) Alysha Clark – 2,865 points
- College: Middle Tennessee State University
- Years Played: 2006-2010
All Time Women’s College Basketball Scoring (Continued)
18) Kevi Luper – 2,867 points
- College: Oral Roberts University
- Years Played: 2010-2013
17) Jess Kovatch – 2,874 points
- College: Saint Francis University
- Years Played: 2010-2013
16) Maddy Siegrist – 2,896 points
- College: Villanova University
- Years Played: 2019-2023
Maddy Siegrist, who just last year was selected third in the WNBA draft, boasts one of the most impressive college basketball careers of all time. Her freshman year, she recorded 583 points, the most ever by a freshman in Villanova’s history. In 2023, she broke Villanova’s career scoring record with a 23-point performance versus Creighton. Later that season, she broke the Big East and Villanova single-game scoring records, and by the time her college career was all said and done, she’d become the highest-scoring basketball player in the Big East Conference’s history.
15) Kelly Mazzante – 2,919 points
- College: Penn State University
- Years Played: 2001-2004
All Time Women’s College Basketball Scoring (Continued)
14) LaToya Thomas – 2,981 points
- College: Mississippi State University
- Years Played: 2000-2003
LaToya Thomas, with 2981 career points, is the all time scoring leader at Mississippi State University. In 2003, she was selected first overall by the Cleveland Rockers in the WNBA draft, which made her the first athlete from Mississippi to be selected first overall in a professional sports draft.
13) Cindy Blodgett – 3,005 points
- College: University of Maine
- Years Played: 1995-1998
Cindy Blodgett, who was born in Maine, and went to high school in Maine, and played basketball at the University of Maine, and became head coach at the University of Maine, is, understandably, a hero in her home state. Among her accolades: Blodgett is one of two women in NCAA history to lead the league in scoring in four consecutive years. And her name is ubiquitous in the University of Maine’s history books: over the course of her college career, she broke a total of twenty school records.
12) Chamique Holdsclaw – 3,025 points
- College: University of Tennessee
- Years Played: 1996-1999
In 2018, Chamique Holdsclaw received one of the highest honors that any athlete can receive: she became a hall-of-famer. Her career started in New York, where she played basketball for Christ the King Regional High School in Queens, leading her team to four straight New York State Championships. And while that level of high school dominance is nothing to scoff at, it was at the college level that her career began to sparkle with the future glory of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
At the University of Tennessee, Holdsclaw played under head coach Pat Summit. In 1996, 1997, and 1998, she led her team to NCAA championships. What’s more—the 1998 season became the Volunteers’ first-ever undefeated season. Holdsclaw went on to a decorated career in the WNBA after being selected first overall in the 1999 draft by the Washington Mystics.
All Time Women’s College Basketball Scoring (Continued)
11) Maya Moore – 3,036 points
- College: University of Connecticut
- Years Played: 2008-2011
UConn is a basketball powerhouse, and Maya Moore is an inextricable part of that legacy. In 2009, she won the John Wooten player of the year award as she led the Huskies to an undefeated season and a national championship. She repeated that routine the following year: the Huskies won another national championship and extended their undefeated streak to 78 games. Her legend continued to grow the next year, as the Huskies went on to win another 12 straight games (no wonder these years of UConn basketball are referred to as the “Maya Moore years”). In so doing, they created an NCAA-wide record of 90 consecutive wins—a record, by the way, that subsequent Huskies squads would break.
Another noteworthy distinction? In 2011, Moore became the first female basketball player to sign a deal with Air Jordan.
All Time Women’s College Basketball Scoring (Continued)
10) Elena Delle Donne – 3,039 points
- College: University of Delaware
- Years Played: 2010-2013
Breaking into the top ten all time women’s college basketball scoring leaders is Elena Delle Donne. Her time at Delaware was nothing short of dominant. Among her accolades? Her freshman year, she took home both “Player of the Year” and “Rookie of the Year” distinctions. As a junior, she led the NCAA in scoring. She became the second overall pick in the 2013 WNBA draft, and currently sits as the all time leader in free throw percentage in WNBA history, shooting free throws at a remarkable 93.7%.
9) Ashley Joens – 3,060 points
- College: Iowa State University
- Years Played: 2019-2023
8) Rachel Banham – 3,093 points
- College: University of Minnesota
- Years Played: 2012-2016
All Time Women’s College Basketball Scoring (Continued)
7) Jerica Coley – 3,107 points
- College: Florida International University
- Years Played: 2011-2014
6) Brittney Griner – 3,283 points
- College: Baylor
- Years Played: 2010-2013
I don’t think it’d be controversial to claim that Brittney Griner is the most iconic women’s basketball player of all time. And although in 2022 she was thrust into headlines as a result of her wrongful detainment in a Russian penal colony, her place in the sport’s history is attributable to her brilliance on the basketball court.
Griner has been so dominant over the course of her career that listing her achievements, accolades, and distinctions almost becomes tedious. For example: in 2012, she was the AP Player of the Year, an NCAA champion, the Final Four Most Outstanding Player, and a Honda Sports Award recipient. She became a WNBA champion in 2014, is a nine-time WNBA all-star, a two time WNBA scoring champion, an 8 time WNBA blocks leader, a two time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award winner…the list goes on. And her legend continues to grow: she still suits up for the Phoenix Mercury.
5) Dyaisha Fair – 3,328 points
- College: Syracuse University
- Years Played: 2020-2024
At 5 feet 5 inches, Dyaisha Fair was always considered too short to be a successful Division I college basketball player. Now fifth on the list of all time women’s college basketball scoring, Fair has proven everyone wrong. And because Fair is largely responsible for turning Syracuse into a legitimate ACC contender, it wouldn’t be farfetched to claim her as one of the greatest athletes in the history of the sport. Her jaw-dropping numbers certainly back it up.
All Time Women’s College Basketball Scoring (Continued)
4) Jackie Stiles – 3,393 points
- College: Missouri State University
- Years Played: 1998-2001
Jackie Stiles holds the distinction of becoming the first player in NCAA women’s basketball history to score 1000 points in a season. In 2001, Stiles scored 1062 points on the strength of a .56 field goal percentage, a .49 three-point percentage, and a .88 free throw percentage.
3) Kelsey Mitchell – 3,402 points
- College: Ohio State
- Years Played: 2015-2018
Kelsey Mitchell’s stats during her time at Ohio State are eye-popping. She never recorded a season with fewer than 22 points per game. Her field goal percentage never dipped below 41%, and in her four seasons she scored 873 points, 889 points, 791 points, and 849 points, respectively.
All Time Women’s College Basketball Scoring (Continued)
2) Kelsey Plum – 3,527 points
- College: University of Washington
- Years Played: 2014-2017
Until recently, Kelsey Plum was the highest scoring player in women’s college basketball history. And her greatness continued into the WNBA: in 2022 and 2023, she won back-to-back WNBA championships with the Las Vegas Aces.
1) Caitlin Clark, 3,685 points
- College: University of Iowa
- Years Played: 2021-2024
Just a few weeks ago, in the opening minutes of a matchup between Iowa and Michigan, Caitlin Clark became the all time women’s college basketball scoring leader. Her performance in that game is a microcosm of her entire college hoops career. Clark recorded 49 points, breaking a school record. With 13 assists, she scored or assisted on a whopping 79 of Iowa’s 106 points. And that, in a nutshell, is why Caitlin Clark is the women’s college basketball all time scoring leader. She recently decided to forego a fifth year at Iowa and enter the 2024 WNBA draft.
All Time Women’s College Basketball Scoring – Additional Resources
We hope you enjoyed our piece on the women’s scorning leaders. You may also enjoy the following relevant blogs:
