On Friday night at the Final Four, Iowa's Caitlin Clark pulled off a surprising upset by scoring 41 points and inspiring her team to a 77-73 victory over previously unbeaten South Carolina. The Hawkeyes, who have never won a national championship, are now just one victory away thanks to the junior guard's two games with 40 or more points.
LSU of the SEC, which defeated Virginia Tech in the other national semifinal, will be their opponent when they play in the championship game on Sunday afternoon. Due to South Carolina's historic season and Clark's excellent play, the game between Iowa and South Carolina was one of the most anticipated in women's Final Four history.
Around 19,000 people attended the game in a sellout, and they were not let down because it lived up to the hype. Coached by Dawn Staley, South Carolina had won 42 straight games, including the title game the previous season. Yet Iowa's outstanding performance on Friday halted their undefeated campaign and brought them closer to a national championship.
The team made its first appearance in the tournament in thirty years with Iowa's spectacular victory over South Carolina in the Final Four. The last time they reached this stage was in 1993 while C. Vivian Stringer was their coach, but they ultimately fell to Ohio State in overtime.
A surprise video message for Iowa's best player Caitlin Clark, who was voted the AP Player of the Year, was one of several memorable moments from the game. Harper Stribe, a teenage fan who has been battling illness, was also present and was astounded by Clark's superb performance.
South Carolina took the lead in the fourth quarter of a closely contested game. With two long 3-pointers and a pass to Monika Czinano in response, Clark gave the Hawkeyes a lead they would maintain for the remainder of the contest.
With Clark making a pivotal basket and two free throws to seal the victory, Iowa staved off South Carolina's late comeback attempts. Her 39 points in the contest beat Nneka Ogwumike's previous mark for most points in a Final Four semifinal. For Iowa, it was a momentous occasion, and the Hawkeyes are now aiming to win their first-ever national championship.
Caitlin Clark of Iowa scored 41 points in a nail-biting Final Four match against South Carolina to help her team win, 77-73. Johnson's putback brought the Gamecocks within two points in the dying seconds of the contest, but Clark's pair of free throws ended the reigning champs' hopes of an undefeated campaign.
Cooke scored 24 points to lead South Carolina, but Boston struggled with foul problems and only managed eight points and ten rebounds. The Gamecocks dominated the boards with a 49-25 lead, but they had trouble making 3-pointers, going just 4 for 20 overall.
Clark flung the ball up in the air as the clock ran out, joining her team in celebration as they were now just one victory away from winning their first-ever national championship. That was a dismal finale to a fantastic season for South Carolina.
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