Before Caitlin Clark, Patricia Hoskins Is The HBCU Legend Who Reigned As The NCAA Women's Scoring Champion

Mississippi Valley State's Patricia Hoskins was the queen of scoring in NCAA Division I women's basketball during the late '80s.

HOUSTON — Patricia Hoskins of Mississippi Valley State held the NCAA Division I women's basketball scoring record for over a decade once, long before players like Caitlin Clark, Brittney Griner, or Kelsey Plum laced their first sneakers.

Caitlin Clark's relentless pursuit of the NCAA women's scoring title is the talk of the town in today's news headlines. While Clark's achievement is commendable, it is essential to recognize the historic accomplishments of Patricia Hoskins between 1985 and 1989.

Despite being a scoring phenomenon, Hoskins' achievements have often been overlooked and seldom discussed in conversations about the greatest players in women's basketball.

During the 2023-24 season, Hoskins dominated the NCAA women's basketball scoring leaderboard with an impressive average of 27.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 8.6 assists per game.

In the 2023-34 season, Clark has made an incredible 140 shots from beyond the three-point line, earning her 420 points. On the other hand, Hoskins scored a remarkable 3,122 points during her time at Mississippi Valley State, even though she only had two seasons to utilize the three-point shot. 

During the first official year that women's basketball introduced the three-point line, the Delta Devils center had a 36.7% scoring accuracy from beyond the arc.

As a senior, Hoskins had an outstanding effort, averaging 33.6 points and 16.3 rebounds, along with 2.7 steals. Her 33.6 points scoring average in a season remains unmatched by any other NCAA women's basketball player.

In 1989, the Delta Devils retired their legend's No. 42 jersey, and she secured the title for highest scorer by surpassing Lorri Baumann, a player from Drake who finished with a total of 3,115 points in 1984. Hoskins' record remained unbroken until Jackie Stiles surpassed it in 2001.

In her final collegiate season, Patricia Hoskins achieved the impressive feat of scoring 55 points in two separate games against Southern University and Alabama State.

The HBCU legend outperformed all other NCAA players with a career average of 28.4 points and 15.1 rebounds. Her statistics are lower than Britney Griner's in terms of scoring and rebounds.

Mississippi Valley State University and the Southwestern Athletic Conference have inducted Hoskins into their Halls of Fame.

NCAA TOP-10 WOMEN'S SCORERS

1. Kelsey Plum, Washington (2013-17): 3,527
2. Caitlin Clark, Iowa (2020-24): 3,462
3. Kelsey Mitchell, Ohio State (2014-18): 3,402
4. Jackie Stiles, Missouri State (1997-2001): 3,393
5. Brittney Griner, Baylor (2009-13): 3,283
6. Dyaisha Fair, Buffalo/Syracuse (2019-24): 3,129
7. Patricia Hoskins, Mississippi Valley State (1985-89): 3,122
8. Lorri Baumann, Drake (1980-84): 3,115
9. Jerica Coley, FIU (2010-14): 3,107
10. Rachel Banham, Minnesota (2011-16): 3,093

*Hoosiers Now