Clark, iowa get south carolina in title game
Caitlin Clark led top-seeded Iowa back to the national championship game, scoring 21 points as the Hawkeyes rallied past Paige Bueckers and third-seeded UConn 71-69 in the women’s Final Four on Friday in Cleveland.
Next up for Iowa (34-4) is a rematch against unbeaten South Carolina, which it beat in the national semifinals last season. The Hawkeyes then fell short of winning the school’s first championship, falling to LSU in the title game.
Now Clark is one victory away from bringing her home state its first women’s basketball title in the final game of her college career.
‘‘It’s gonna take one through five,’’ Clark said of Iowa’s chances. ‘‘They’re so skilled. They played a great game today. At this point, anybody can take it. You’ve got to go prep. You’ve got one day to take of yourself, so we’ll be ready.’’
After a rough first half because of a swarming Huskies defense, Clark — the NCAA’s Division I all-time leading scorer — finally got going in the fourth quarter.
With the score tied at 51, Clark scored seven points in the first 2oe minutes of the quarter to give the Hawkeyes a small cushion. UConn (33-6) pulled to 60-57 before Iowa scored six points in a row to take a 66-57 lead.
The Huskies trailed 70-66 before Nika Muhl made a three-pointer after a steal with 39.3 seconds left to get them within one. The Hawkeyes’ Hannah Stuelke turned the ball over with 10 seconds left, giving UConn a chance to take the lead. But Aaliyah Edwards was called for an offensive foul while setting a screen with 4.6 seconds left.
Clark made the first of two free throws before missing the second. Teammate Sydney Affolter got the rebound, and the Huskies tied her up, forcing a jump ball. The possession arrow kept the ball with Iowa, which sealed the victory by throwing the ball in the air to run out the final seconds.
Stuelke scored 23 points to lead the Hawkeyes. Bueckers and Edwards each scored 17 points for UConn, which was back in the Final Four after a one-year hiatus that ended its run of 14 consecutive seasons in the national semifinals.
‘‘I thought we started off the fourth quarter really good,’’ Clark said. ‘‘Came up with some big baskets. Hannah came up with some baskets. Just resilient.’’
south carolina 78, N.C. state 59
All-America center Kamilla Cardoso scored 22 points, and the unbeaten Gamecocks (37-0) emphatically kept their perfect season going, advancing to the championship game of the women’s NCAA Tournament by rolling past the Wolfpack (31-7).
Top-seeded South Carolina led by one at halftime before putting its full arsenal on display in the third quarter. The Gamecocks outscored third-seeded N.C. State 29-6 to turn what had been a tense matchup into a blowout.
South Carolina will play Iowa for the national title Sunday.
Aziaha James scored 20 points for the Wolfpack, who had knocked off a No. 1 and a No. 2 seed to get to the Final Four.
N.C. State, however, had no shot against the Gamecocks, who were a unanimous No. 1 for most of the season in the Associated Press’ Top 25 and are aiming to become the first undefeated national champions since UConn in 2016.
Cardoso added 11 rebounds while playing only 23 minutes. She hurt her right leg late in the first half and returned in the third quarter with a black compression sleeve on the leg. She didn’t play in the fourth quarter.
Ashlyn Watkins was just as dominant inside for South Carolina, finishing with 20 rebounds to go with eight points. Raven Johnson added 13 points.