Undefeated no more. On the back of another otherworldly performance from AP player of the year Caitlin Clark, the Iowa Hawkeyes took down top seeded South Carolina 77-73 to advance to the national championship game.
In a season where they looked virtually unstoppable, Dawn Staley and her Gamecocks squad looked uncharacteristically pedestrian Friday night. Aliyah Boston, who could very well be the 1st overall selection in the upcoming WNBA draft, found herself in foul trouble early, and finished the first half with zero points.
“I don’t think we felt pressure to win the game, we just didn’t perform,” Staley said. “And that hasn’t been us all season long.”
Despite out rebounding Iowa 49-25 and attempting 20 more shots than the Hawkeyes, Staley’s crew couldn’t put their significant size advantage to use Friday. South Carolina rebounded 55% of its misses on the night, but the bounces just didn’t seem to go their way around the rim for second and third effort shots.
Senior guard Zia Cooke shouldered much of the offensive load in the early going, finishing the night with a 24pt/8reb statline. However it was clear that their 38-37 halftime lead was all the proof the Hawkeyes needed to know they could hang with the tournament favourites, as the team came out flying in the second half, surviving numerous Gamecocks runs along the way.
“We had nothing to lose. I have all the confidence in the world in this group, and they believe right back in me, and that’s all you need,” Clark said. “All we do is believe in one another and we love each other to death, and that’s what a true team is. If you want an example of a team, that’s what this is.”
For the second consecutive game, Clark finished with 41 points to power her team to the national championship game, becoming the 1st player in NCAA tournament history to score 40+ points in back to back contests.
As has been the case for most of their magical run, Clark was the straw that stirred the Hawkeye offense. Senior forward Monika Czinano chipped in 18pts, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals across 27 minutes of action. McKenna Warnock grabbed a game sealing rebound late, and Kate Martin had 7pts/7reb on the night. But it was once again the Caitlin Clark show as she poured in 41pts/8ast/6reb while going a perfect 6 for 6 from the free throw line.
“I might score the most points, but at the end of the day, we aren’t anywhere without my teammates,” said Clark after the game. “That’s what our team is about. Knowing your role, doing your role and showing up in that every single day.”
The 21 year old was once again the driving force behind her team’s victory as she either scored or assisted on each of her team’s final 18 points to close out the game.
With the win, Iowa advances to their first title game in program history. There they’ll take on 3rd seed LSU who downed Virginia Tech 79-72 earlier in the evening at American Airlines Center.
While some may argue that Friday’s win over South Carolina was the biggest game of the season, the stage is now set for a Caitlin Clark/Angel Reese showdown in the national championship.
The tournament finale is scheduled for Sunday at 3:30pm.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Gamecock Central. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.