"Throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks": Purdue coach discusses Caitlin Clark dilemma amid recalling ex-Iowa star's iconic shot

Caitlin Clark produced many iconic shots during her illustrious college career with the Iowa Hawkeyes. Purdue assistant coach Kelly Komara recalled one of Clark's memorable baskets against the Boilermakers during her chat with Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White and Jane Schott.

Clark impressed Komara with her unbelievable play late in the second quarter of Iowa's 96-71 win over Purdue on Jan. 10, 2024. Iowa had the final possession of the first half when Clark conjured a moment of magic, sending fans inside Mackey Arena into a frenzy.

Komara highlighted the moment in a discussion that was first shown on the Indiana High School Athletic Association's YouTube page on Jan. 9 but is now gaining traction:

"This is crazy. It’s the end of maybe a quarter or a half—I’m not sure which—but we were going to take a foul on her," Komara said. "Caitlin Clark brings it over close to where [Purdue head coach] Katie Gearlds is, and we were going to tell Jayla Smith to foul."

"So she said, 'I’ll tell you when.' You could see Caitlin hear that. Now Jayla Smith goes to foul, she throws it up, turns around and it goes in. It freaking goes in. She didn’t even see it and then she starts going and-1, and-1. Oh my God."

Komara tipped her cap to Clark for what she did to Purdue that day:

"We all did the best we could. At the end of the day, it was what it was. But somebody like that, everybody has to cross their fingers and kinda throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks with her.

"It was pretty cool to experience Mackey Arena and Caitlin Clark at the same time. It was pretty fun."

Clark's basket late in the first half didn't count, as the referees ruled that Jayla Smith fouled the Hawkeyes star before she attempted the long three.

Caitlin Clark records triple-double in last game vs. Purdue

Caitlin Clark put on a show in what turned out to be her final game against the Purdue Boilermakers, recording a triple-double for Iowa. She scored 26 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out 10 assists in 35 minutes of action. She shot 8-for-18 from the field, including 6-for-14 from beyond the arc.

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (#22) signs autographs after the game against the Purdue Boilermakers on Jan. 10, 2024, at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana. Photo: Imagn

Clark helped Iowa stretch its unbeaten run to 13 games with the 96-71 rout. Clark has since gone on to become a WNBA sensation, winning the Rookie of the Year Award and being an integral part of the tremendous growth in the women's game as a whole.