South Carolina beat Iowa for the women’s NCAA basketball championship on April 7 at Rocket Mortgage Field House in Cleveland, Ohio.
South Carolina took Iowa down 87-75, earning their third championship and ending their perfect 38-0 season.
In a post-game interview with South Carolina’s coach, Dawn Staley expressed her gratitude for Caitlin Clark.
“I just don’t want to not utilize this opportunity to thank Caitlin for what she’s done for women’s basketball,” Staley states. “Getting a lot of eyeballs on our game and sometimes as a young person, it could be a bit much, but I thought she handled it with class. And I hope that every step of the ladder of success that she goes, she’s able to elevate.”
Clark has broken unimaginable records and led her team to the finals twice.
South Carolina’s roster was in a flow state with everyone contributing to their win. Kamilla Cardoso recorded a career-high 17 rebounds, helping secure a 24-11 rebound advantage. They also received substantial help from the bench who held a 36-0 scoring advantage.
This win over Iowa was very well deserved as South Carolina now holds an impressive 109-3 record in the last three years and is now 3-0 in the finals. With this win, they avenged their loss to Iowa in last year’s tournament.
Although Iowa lost, the effort shown by Clark and the rest of her team hasn’t gone unnoticed. Clark had 30 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in this loss, and since then has been picked #1 in the WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever.
South Carolina seems to have their sights set on continuing their winning streak and expanding their accomplishments.
