List of NCAA Division I women's basketball career scoring leaders

In basketball, points are the sum of the score accumulated through free throws or field goals.[1] In National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I basketball, where a player's career is at most four seasons under normal circumstances, it is considered a notable achievement to reach the 1,000-points scored threshold. In even rarer instances, players have reached the 2,000- and 3,000-point plateaus (no player, whether male or female, has ever scored 4,000 or more points at the Division I level). The top 25 highest scorers in NCAA Division I women's basketball history are listed below. While the NCAA's current three-division format has been in place since the 1973–74 season,[2] it 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).

To be listed in the NCAA record book, a player must have been active in at least three seasons during the era in which the NCAA governed women's sports—although for those players who qualify for inclusion in the record book, AIAW statistics are included. Most notably, Lynette Woodard of Kansas, whose career total of 3,649 points makes her the all-time women's college basketball scoring leader, is not recognized as the NCAA career leader because her entire college career (1977–81) predated NCAA sponsorship of women's sports.[3]

Some players among the top 25 scorers in Division I history played in the era before the three-point line was officially adopted in women's basketball on an experimental basis in 1986–87 and fully in 1987–88. All of the players with a dash through the three-point field goals column were affected by this rule. Valorie Whiteside of Appalachian State is the only three-point shot era player on this list who did not make a single three-point shot, and she only played in one season in which the use of the three-pointer was mandatory.

The three-point distance was first marked at 19 ft 9 in (6.02 m) from the center of the basket, the same distance then used in NCAA men's basketball.[4] From that point through the 2007–08 season, the three-point lines remained at 19 ft 9 in (6.02 m).[4] On May 3, 2007, the NCAA men's basketball rules committee passed a measure to extend the distance of the men's three-point line back to 20 ft 9 in (6.32 m);[5] the women's line remained at the original distance until it was moved to match the men's distance effective in 2011–12.[4]

The only player on this list to be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is Cheryl Miller.[6]

Only one player among the top 25 played basketball in more than four seasons. Rachel Banham of Minnesota tore her ACL 10 games into her senior season of 2014–15. She qualified for a medical hardship waiver, popularly known as a "medical redshirt", that allowed her to compete in a fifth season.[7][lower-alpha 1] Similarly, only one player among the top 25 played at more than one school, namely Alysha Clark, who played two seasons at Belmont before transferring to Middle Tennessee.

Key

Top 25 career scoring leaders
Player Pos. Team Career
start		 Career
end		 Games
played		 Total field goals
made		 3-point
field
goals made		 Free
throws made		 Points PPG Ref.[lower-alpha 2]
Kelsey Plum G Washington 2013 2017 139 1,136 343 912 3,527 25.4
Kelsey Mitchell G Ohio State 2014 2018 139 1,120 497 665 3,402 24.5
Jackie Stiles† G Missouri State[lower-alpha 3] 1997 2001 129 1,160 221 852 3,393 26.1 [9][lower-alpha 4]
Brittney Griner C Baylor 2009 2013 148 1,247 2 787 3,283 22.2 [lower-alpha 5]
Patricia Hoskins F Mississippi Valley State 1985 1989 110 1,196 24 708 3,122 28.4 [10][lower-alpha 6]
Lorri Bauman F Drake 1980 1984 120 1,104 — 907 3,122 26.0 [10][lower-alpha 6]
Jerica Coley G FIU 2010 2014 131 1,099 160 749 3,107 23.7
Rachel Banham G Minnesota 2011 2016 144 1,081 354 577 3,093 21.5
Elena Delle Donne F Delaware 2009 2013 114 1,030 206 773 3,039 26.7 [lower-alpha 7]
Maya Moore F UConn[lower-alpha 8] 2007 2011 154 1,171 311 383 3,036 19.7 [lower-alpha 9]
Chamique Holdsclaw† F Tennessee 1995 1999 146 1,233 36 523 3,025 20.4 [11][lower-alpha 10]
Cheryl Miller* F USC 1982 1986 126 1,159 — 700 3,018 23.6 [10][lower-alpha 6]
Cindy Blodgett G Maine 1994 1998 118 1,055 219 676 3,005 25.5 [10][lower-alpha 6]
LaToya Thomas F Mississippi State 1999 2003 125 1,119 34 709 2,981 23.8
Valorie Whiteside F Appalachian State 1984 1988 116 1,153 0 638 2,944 25.4 [10][lower-alpha 6]
Kelly Mazzante G Penn State 2000 2004 133 1,051 357 460 2,919 21.9
Joyce Walker C LSU 1980 1984 117 1,259 — 388 2,906 24.8 [10][lower-alpha 6]
Jess Kovatch G Saint Francis (PA) 2015 2019 130 965 472 472 2,874 22.1
Kevi Luper G Oral Roberts 2009 2013 126 1,052 195 568 2,867 22.8 [lower-alpha 11]
Alysha Clark F Belmont / Middle Tennessee 2005 2010[lower-alpha 12] 123 1,028 42 767 2,865 23.3 [lower-alpha 13]
Heather Butler G UT Martin 2010 2014 129 958 392 557 2,865 22.2
Sandra Hodge G/F New Orleans 1980 1984 107 1,194 — 472 2,860 26.7 [10][lower-alpha 6]
Andrea Riley G Oklahoma State 2006 2010 131 911 238 775 2,835 21.6 [lower-alpha 14]
Jantel Lavender C Ohio State 2007 2011 136 1,142 3 531 2,818 20.7 [lower-alpha 15]
Megan Gustafson C Iowa 2015 2019 135 1,136 1 531 2,804 20.8

Footnotes
  1. While Elena Delle Donne was a varsity athlete at Delaware in five school years, she did not play basketball in her first school year, instead playing volleyball.[8]
  2. Except as otherwise noted, references for each entry are cited in the "General references" section below. Specifically:
    • Games played and total points are available from the most recent edition of the NCAA Division I women's basketball record book.
    • More detailed statistics are available by searching for the named player in the NCAA women's basketball statistical database. Enter the player's name (last name required, first name optional), make sure that the "Player" option is specified, and click on the appropriate entry returned.
  3. Known as Southwest Missouri State during Stiles' career.
  4. The NCAA statistical database does not include any statistics from Stiles' 1997–98 freshman season.
  5. The NCAA statistical database does not list Griner's point total from her 2009–10 freshman season. However, it lists her made field goals, three-pointers, and free throws for all four seasons of her career.
  6. This player is not listed in the NCAA statistical database. However, entering the 2019–20 season, she was among the top 25 players on the official D-I women's leaderboard for career scoring average. This leaderboard, included in the printed NCAA D-I record book for 2019–20, provides a complete breakdown of each player's scoring.
  7. The NCAA statistical database does not list Delle Donne's point total from the 2009–10 season, the first in which she played college basketball (she played volleyball for Delaware in the 2008–09 school year). However, it lists her made field goals, three-pointers, and free throws for all four seasons of her career.
  8. Officially known for athletic purposes as Connecticut during her college career.
  9. The NCAA statistical database does not list Moore's point total from her 2009–10 junior season. However, it lists her made field goals, three-pointers, and free throws for all four seasons of her career.
  10. The NCAA statistical database only lists Holdsclaw's statistics from one of her four college seasons, namely her 1998–99 senior season.
  11. The NCAA statistical database does not list Luper's point total from her 2009–10 freshman season. However, it lists her made field goals, three-pointers, and free throws for all four seasons of her career.
  12. Clark's career spanned five seasons, but she only played in four. She transferred from Belmont to Middle Tennessee after the 2006–07 season, sitting out the 2007–08 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
  13. The NCAA statistical database does not list Clark's point total from her 2009–10 redshirt senior season. However, it lists her made field goals, three-pointers, and free throws for all four seasons in which she played.
  14. The NCAA statistical database does not list Riley's point total from her 2009–10 senior season. However, it lists her made field goals, three-pointers, and free throws for all four seasons of her career.
  15. The NCAA statistical database does not list Lavender's point total from her 2009–10 junior season. However, it lists her made field goals, three-pointers, and free throws for all four seasons of her career.

References
General
  • "Career Records: Scoring" (PDF). 2019–20 Division I Women's Basketball Records. NCAA. p. 12. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  • "NCAA Career Statistics". NCAA. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
Specific
  1. "Basketball glossary". FIBA.com. Retrieved July 7, 2010.
  2. "NCAA 101: Our Three Divisions". NCAA. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  3. "Woodard also one to remember". Archived from the original on 2013-03-30. Retrieved 2013-04-04.
  4. "2017–18 NCAA Women's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  5. Katz, Andy (May 3, 2007). "Committee extends men's 3-point line to 20-9". ESPN. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  6. "Hall of Famers: Cheryl Miller". Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  7. "Minnesota Retires Rachel Banham's No. 1 Jersey" (Press release). WNBA. January 2, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  8. Hays, Graham (December 5, 2012). "Comfort Zone". espnW. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
  9. "1,000-Point Club" (PDF). 2019–20 Missouri State Lady Bears Media Guide. Missouri State Athletics. p. 139. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  10. "Career Records: Scoring Average" (PDF). 2019–20 Division I Women's Basketball Records. NCAA. p. 15. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  11. "Records: Great Lady Vol Scorers" (PDF). 2019–20 Lady Vol Basketball Media Guide. University of Tennessee Athletics. p. 146. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
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