March Madness has delivered many dynamite displays of athleticism over the years. Let's take a look at the top high-scoring women's performances of all time.
Lorri Bauman, 50 points, 1982 NCAA tournament
During the 1982 NCAA tournament, Drake's Lori Bauman recorded 50 points in a losing effort against Maryland in the West Regional Final. She shot 21-of-35 (60%) from the field and 8-of-11 from the free throw line, scoring 64% of Drake's points. Bauman finished her collegiate career with 3,115 points, which is the eighth-most in Division I women's history.
Sheryl Swoopes, 47 points, 1993 NCAA tournament
Swoopes had one of the best NCAA tournament runs of all time in 1993, and she saved her best for the national championship. After scoring at least 30 points in each round of the tournament, Swoopes dropped 47 points in an 84-82 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes, giving Texas Tech its first national title. This is regarded as one of the best performances in NCAA tournament history. Swoopes would go on to become a four-time WNBA champion, three-time WNBA MVP, three-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, two-time WNBA scoring champion and three-time Olympic gold medalist.
Jayne Appel, 46 points, 2009 NCAA tournament
Entering this game, the Iowa State Cyclones decided they would force Stanford's Appel to beat them, guarding her one-on-one and focusing their defensive game plan on shutting down Stanford's shooters. The 6-foot-4 Appel made them pay, finishing with 46 points and 16 rebounds while shooting 19-of-28 (67.9%) from the field. Stanford won 74-53, advancing to the Final Four.
Sarah Ashlee Barker, 45 points, 2025 NCAA Tournament
In the 2025 Round of 32, Alabama's Sarah Ashlee Barker scored a program-record 45 points in a 111-108 loss in double overtime to Maryland. She finished the game 17-of-25 from the field including 4-of-6 from three and scored 12 of her 45 in the two overtime periods. Barker also added 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals but it wasn't enough to advance.
Kelsey Mitchell, 45 points, 2016 NCAA tournament
Mitchell's 45 points led the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes to a second-round win over the No. 6 West Virginia Mountaineers. She shot 11-of-31 (34.5%) from the field, 5-of-12 (41.7%) from 3-point range and 18-of-22 (81.8%) from the free throw line. Meanwhile, West Virginia shot just 13 free throws as a team. Mitchell also chipped in 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists in the win.
Candice Wiggins, 44 points, 2008 NCAA tournament
During the second round of the 2008 NCAA tournament, UTEP had no answer for Wiggins and Stanford. She erupted for 44 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 6 3-pointers, 3 steals and a block, while shooting 15-of-27 (55.6%) from the field. Stanford blew out UTEP, 88-54. Wiggins led Stanford to the national championship game, where the Cardinal lost to Tennessee.
Barbara Kennedy, 43 points, 1982 NCAA Tournament
In 1982, Clemson and Penn State played in the first ever NCAA Women's Tournament game, a 96-75 Nittany Lions victory. Clemson's Barbara Kennedy made headlines however, scoring the tournament's first-ever points en route to a game-high 43, still the sixth-highest total in a tournament game in Division I history. Kennedy made 20 field goals in the game, the second most all time in the tournament and still a Clemson single-game record. She would eventually graduate as the ACC's all-time leading scorer.
Marissa Coleman, 42 points, 2009 NCAA Tournament
In the 2009 Sweet 16, Maryland's Marissa Coleman set the school record for any game with 42 points in a 78-74 win over Vanderbilt (later tied by Brionna Jones in 2017). Coleman willed her team to victory helping her Terrapins come all the way back from an 18-point first-half deficit to advance to the Elite 8. Vanderbilt had no answers for Coleman, who finished 13-of-22 from the floor while adding 15 rebounds, which tied Maryland's school record for a tournament game.
Elizabeth Kitley, 42 points, 2022 NCAA Tournament
In the 2022 Round of 64, Virginia Tech's Elizabeth Kitley scored 42 points against Florida Gulf Coast, a program record for any game and tied for the eighth-most in an NCAA tournament game in Division I history. Unfortunately for Kitley and Tech, the 12-seeded Eagles upset the 5-seeded Hokies 84-81. Kitley did everything she could in the loss, however, scoring more than half of her team's points on 16-of-27 shooting while her teammates combined to shoot just 14-of-33.
Eight tied, 41 points
Most recently Jayda Curry, 2025 NCAA Tournament
There have been eight instances of a player scoring 41 points in an NCAA tournament game, including Caitlin Clark three times. The most recent occurrence was Louisville's Jayda Curry, who did it against TCU in a Round of 32 loss in the 2025 tournament. Curry finished 13-of-28 from the floor, including 6-of-12 from three-point range.
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