Williams Arena was the center of the women’s college basketball universe on Wednesday, thanks to Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, and to no one’s surprise — and a sold-out crowd’s delight — she turned it into a historic night.

Clark scored 33 points to become the all-time leading scorer in women’s major college basketball, reaching 3,650 points, as the Hawkeyes routed the Gophers 108-60.

Clark entered the fourth quarter needing three points to set the record. She missed a 3 early in the quarter, but when she connected from long range with four minutes, 46 seconds to play, history was made.

The record-breaker proved to be Clark’s last shot of the night, as she left the game shortly after along with the other starters.

Iowa coach Lisa Bluder, who knows how fortunate she is to watch Clark perform on a game-to game, basis, called Wednesday’s performance special. Clark made 12 of 20 attempts, including 8 of 14 from 3-point range,  grabbed 10 rebounds and had 12 assists.

It was Clark’s 17th triple-double of the season.

“She’s the most dominant player in the history of the game, bar none,” said Gophers coach  Dawn Plitzuweit. “What she is able to do on a nightly basis is mind-boggling.”

Clark broke the record held by Lynette Woodard, who played at Kansas from 1977-81, when women’s athletics were governed by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women. Clark saluted Woodard for being among the players who helped the women’s game grow.

“I wouldn’t have the opportunity to do what I do every single night if it wasn’t for people like her,” Clark said. “Obviously, there are so many great players across the board. I’m thankful and grateful to have those people who have come before me.”

With the women’s record in hand, Clark needs 18 points to surpass Pete Maravich’s major college record of 3,667 points. Clark’s game has been compared to that of “Pistol Pete,” which she clearly enjoys.

“I vividly remember people coming up to me in high school and talking about Pete,” Clark said. “They were telling me that I had to watch him on YouTube. So it’s super special closing in on that.

“It’s super special to be in the same realm of a lot of these really talented players who have done a lot of great things. Not just women’s basketball or men’s basketball, but in basketball in general.”

Clark also broke the NCAA single-season record for 3-pointers. She made eight 3’s, giving her 156 for the season.

It was only the second time The Barn has sold out (14,625) for a women’s game, the first coming on November 9, 2018, in Lindsay Whalen’s first game as head coach.

And it was the second appearance of the season for women’s basketball royalty after an announced crowd of 10,868 was on hand for an appearance by local superstar Paige Bueckers and UConn in November.

Wednesday night featured a large contingent of Iowa fans who basked in the moment, but even those who were disheartened by a lopsided loss for the Gophers (15-13, 5-12) could appreciate being a witness to history.

“It’s cool to see the impact we’ve had across the country,” Clark said. “A lot of times there’s a lot of Hawk fans there. It’s really special; it never gets old.”

Clark entered the game needing 33 points to break Woodard’s record of 3,649 career points, and she came out looking as though she was determined to get there in the first half.

She didn’t waste any time putting her stamp on the game, scoring Iowa’s first 12 points in the opening two minutes and 55 seconds. She made 3 threes while mixing in a drive to the hoop that resulted in a basket and a three-point play.

After a Gophers timeout, she hit another 3 to put the Hawkeyes up 15-5.  Clark finished the first quarter with 15 points, four rebounds and three assists.

“It was nice to see a couple shots go down early,” Clark said. “I think we just played free and just had a lot of fun across the board.”

It was more of the same start the second quarter. Clark hit a pair of 3s in the first minute to raise her total to 21 points. She finished the half with 21 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Iowa (25-4, 14-3 Big Ten), the No. 6 team in the AP poll, led 53-26 at halftime, leaving only the possibility of Clark breaking the record in doubt over the final 20 minutes.

There was no break in the game when the record was broken, but Clark’s accomplishment was recognized over the PA system as the teams left the floor.

It was a nice gesture, but not one that was needed. The crowd knew what it came for, as witnessed by the countless number of cellphones that were recording every time Clark touched the ball after moving within three points of history.

The Gophers and Illinois played a high-octane game Wednesday, fueled by hot shooting on both ends. But the No. 13 Illini found another gear while Minnesota ran out of gas late in a 105-97 loss at State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill.

Coming off their season-low 55-point performance against Nebraska, Minnesota put up its highest point total in a Big Ten game this season.

Both teams shot over 60 percent from the field, and each scored roughly 20 points more than season averages. They exchanged the lead 20 times, but Illinois (21-7, 12-5), an 11.5-point favorite, didn’t trail in the final 14 minutes.

Gophers coach Ben Johnson was looking for a response coming out of the 73-55 dud against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He got it.

“I really loved the fight,” Johnson said postgame on KFAN-AM. “I thought our guys competed for 40 minutes. … I got zero complaints there. We knew to beat this team, or to be in the game, we had to score. So 97 is what it is. But I’m just most proud of the battle, the fight and the perseverance on the road against a really, really good team.”

Illinois big man Dain Dainja, who is listed at 6-foot-9 and 255 pounds, was a force at times down low. He stole a rebound from Parker Fox, scored and puffed up his chest to Dawson Garica. Later Dainja, who attended Park Center High School, hit a hook shot over Pharrel Payne, and Payne threw up his hands in disbelief. Dainja contributed 11 points and six rebounds.

Terrance Shannon, who is second in the Big Ten at 21.6 points per game, had 29 points for the Illini. Marcus Domask added 22 and Coleman Hawkins 20.

“They got a bunch of guys that can really score it,” Johnson said on the radio. “They are a team — you are not going to keep them in the 60s, probably not going to keep them in the 70s.”

Garcia matched Shannon with 29 points. Cam Christie had 23, while all five Gophers starters were in double figures.

“Give them a lot of credit,” Illini coach Brad Underwood said on Big Ten Network. “Christie, I mean, that dude is terrific. They busted us in the first half, but then I felt like we wore them down a little bit in the second half.”

Christie’s silky jumpers were falling in the first half. The true freshman from Arlington Heights, Ill., made four 3-pointers and led all scorers with 17 points. The U trailed only 48-45 at the break.

But with the loss, Minnesota (17-11, 8-9 Big Ten) fell to 1-7 in Quad 1 games, putting the NCAA tournament even further out of reach.

They haven’t been able to grasp much in Champaign over the decades. The Gophers fell to 3-30 in Champaign since 1979 and have lost seven straight overall to the Illini.

Minnesota has two Quad 3 home games against Penn State on Saturday and Indiana on Wednesday before a Quad 1 road game at Northwestern on March 9.

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Fourteen protesters were cited for trespassing Wednesday evening after they hopped a fence outside the temporary residence of Gov. Tim Walz in St. Paul, officials say.

The Minnesota State Patrol said about 100 people had gathered outside the Eastcliff mansion on Mississippi River Boulevard, where a pro-Palestinian advocacy organization was holding a protest demanding that state pension funds be divested from companies linked to Israel.

Shortly before 5:30 p.m., 12 women and two men climbed over the fence surrounding Eastcliff, where Walz and his family are living while the official governor’s residence on Summit Avenue undergoes renovations, according to State Patrol Lt. Jill Frankfurth.

“We support the right to exercise ones’ First Amendment rights, but jumping a fence and trespassing on private property is not the way to do that,” Frankfurth said in an email. “This type of behavior will not be tolerated and enforcement action will be taken.”

State Patrol troopers, who were assisted by St. Paul police officers, did not use force during the incident and no injuries were reported, Frankfurth said.

The State Patrol provides personal protection and security services for the governor and other state officials.

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Minnesota did not play particularly well against the Memphis Grizzlies for large stretches Wednesday at Target Center.

Playing on the second half of a back-to-back, the Timberwolves were lethargic on both ends of the floor. But a surge midway through the third quarter proved to be enough, as a string of stops leading to transition buckets on the other end lifted the Wolves to a 110-101 victory.

Anthony Edwards led the revival. A bystander for much of the first half, the 22-year-old was seemingly energized when he was switched onto Grizzlies star big Jaren Jackson Jr. on the defensive end.

The challenge of guarding Memphis’ best remaining player — Memphis (20-39) is sans Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart in a lost season — lit a fire under Edwards, who was suddenly far more active on both ends of the floor. He matched Jackson’s physicality on the defensive end and started to attack the rim on offense via transition opportunities and cuts that exposed Memphis’ hyper-aggressive off-ball defense.

Edwards scored 17 of his 34 points in that third frame as Minnesota turned an 11-point deficit into a 3-point advantage heading into the final frame.

Minnesota (42-17) didn’t exactly pull away from Memphis in the fourth. The Wolves and the undermanned Grizzlies essentially went back and forth with buckets throughout most of the final frame.

Jackson’s miss on an open three-ball with 1 minute, 20 seconds to play essentially signaled Memphis’ official concession, as the Grizzlies — who’ve now lost 12 of their last 14 games — made no effort to get back on defense and Edwards waltzed down the floor before feeding Jaden McDaniels for a jam to put Minnesota up nine.

Jackson finished with 33 points and 13 rebounds, while Naz Reid added 19 points for the Wolves.

Briefly

Kyle Anderson missed the game with a hamstring injury suffered Tuesday against San Antonio. There is no immediate timetable for his return.