Caitlin Clark had any other sensational sport with 41 issues to lend a hand Iowa wreck South Carolina’s very best season with a 77-73 victory on Friday night time within the Final Four.
The impressive junior guard, who has back-to-back 40-point video games, now has the Hawkeyes in a place they have got by no means been in prior to – one victory clear of a countrywide championship.
“This is incredible, I don’t even know what to say,” she stated after the sport. “I just love these girls so much.”
They’ll have to overcome any other SEC crew to try this as Iowa will face LSU within the identify sport on Sunday afternoon.
Thanks to the impressive play of Clark and the historical yr by way of South Carolina, this used to be one of the mentioned and extremely expected matchups in ladies’s Final Four historical past.
The sport lived as much as the hype surrounding it, a lot to the pleasure of the sellout crowd of over 19,000 enthusiasts. Coach Dawn Staley and South Carolina had gained 42 in a row, together with closing yr’s championship sport.
Clark wowed a crowd that incorporated Harper Stribe, a tender fan of the crew who has been combating most cancers. She used to be featured in a wonder video that knowledgeable the Hawkeyes’ superstar that she used to be the AP Player of the Year.
Trailing 59-55 getting into the fourth quarter, South Carolina scored the primary 5 issues to take the lead. Clark responded proper again with two deep three-pointers and an lend a hand to Monika Czinano to present the Hawkeyes a 67–62 lead.
South Carolina were given inside 69–68 on Raven Johnson’s three-pointer prior to Clark were given a scouse borrow for a layup with 3:32 left. Neither crew scored once more till superstar Aliyah Boston used to be fouled with 1:37 left. He made the second one of 2 unfastened throws.
Clark then scored any other layup at the different finish out of a timeout to make it a four-point sport. After a layup by way of Zia Cooke made it a two-point sport with 58 seconds left, the Hawkeyes ran the clock down with McKenna Warnock grabbing an enormous offensive rebound off a Clark pass over with 18 seconds final.
Clark hit two unfastened throws after South Carolina fouled her with 13.5 seconds left. They have been her thirty eighth and thirty ninth issues, transferring her previous Nneka Ogwumike for probably the most issues scored in a Final Four semifinal sport.
After a putback by way of Johnson with 9.9 seconds left were given the Gamecocks inside 75–73, Clark sealed the sport with two extra unfastened throws. As the general seconds ticked off the clock, Clark threw the ball prime within the air and galloped across the court docket.
“I’d like to have had a few more threes, that would have been nice,” joked Clark after the sport.
The loss ended a impressive season for the protecting champion Gamecocks, who have been seeking to transform the tenth crew to head thru a season unbeaten.
Cooke led the Gamecocks with 24 issues. Slowed by way of foul hassle, Boston had simply 8 issues and 10 rebounds because the Hawkeyes packed the paint, bold South Carolina to shoot from the out of doors.
The Gamecocks completed 4-for-20 from in the back of the three-point line and may just now not make the most of their 49–25 merit at the forums that incorporated 26 offensive rebounds.
LSU beat Virginia Tech within the different semi-final previous on Friday night time. It’s the Tigers’ first look within the identify sport as Kim Mulkey was the second one trainer to take two other groups to the championship sport. Alexis Morris scored 27 issues and had two of her misses within the fourth quarter become putback baskets by way of Angel Reese in a large run as LSU rallied to overcome top-seeded Virginia Tech 79-72.
“I’m by no means glad. I’m super-excited that we gained, however I’m hungry,” said Morris, who jumped on a courtside table and fired up LSU fans after the game. “Like, I’m greedy. I want to win it all so I can complete the story.”
Reese completed with 24 issues and 12 rebounds for LSU.
“It’s like a dream. It nonetheless hasn’t hit me that I’m on the Final Four,” said Reese, the transfer from Maryland who carries the nickname Bayou Barbie. “I’m just not even believing this right now. It’s crazy how much my life has changed in one year.”