Many thought winning the South Carolina national championship this year was a foregone conclusion. Louisiana State coach Kim Mulkey told reporters after LSU’s eighth-round win that South Carolina “would be right there” in the championship game.
South Carolina was undefeated, dominated teams all season and were the reigning champions. But the Gamecocks had played no such player Catlin Clark.
On Friday night, Clark and Iowa managed to do what no other team has done, defeating South Carolina 77-73, to make their way to the program’s first championship game — delivering the upset of all setbacks in a March which is filled with them.
Instead, it was Iowa, perhaps understandably, that celebrated as if it had won the championship when the game was over. Clark, who finished with 41 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds, ran around the arena with a hand to her ear before stopping and raising both her arms as Iowa’s knucklehead fans roared. The team hugged and cheered in midfield, and the players sang the school’s fight song with fans.
A fan prominently waved a sign during the game that read, “In Clark we trust.”
“Everyone in America chose South Carolina, and rightly so,” Clark said, adding, “But at the same time, the people in our locker room believed in us, and that’s all you need is belief in each other.”
Iowa will play against Louisiana State in the title game on Sunday afternoon. The third-seeded Tigers advanced to their first NCAA Final in program history with a 79-72 victory over Virginia Tech earlier on Friday night. Louisiana State retreated late in a mostly back-and-forth game thanks to a one-two by Angel Reese and Alexis Morris that proved too much for the Hokies.
Reese produced her 33rd triple-double this season, tying an NCAA record, with 24 points and 12 rebounds; Morris led all scorers with 27 points.
When that game ended, the American Airlines Center quickly filled up for what many fans and observers of the sport considered the premier event. Spectators in black, gold and garnet were here to watch the most anticipated college basketball game in NCAA Division I Final Four, with the smothering, undefeated South Carolina team against Clark, widely regarded as the player of the year.
“Tonight showed how much fun women’s basketball can be,” said Clark. “I’m sure so many people wish this was a series of seven. That would be really nice.”
Iowa dominated South Carolina for much of the first half, putting its star forward, Aliyah Boston, in trouble early on. She played only eight minutes and was scoreless in the first half, but Iowa was leading by only 1 at the break, mostly due to South Carolina’s relentless depth. The lead seemed to evaporate quickly with Boston back in the second half.
Iowa’s strategy of a zone defense, dropping Clark from the top of the zone to either Boston or a post player who got the ball, proved effective. Clark’s auxiliary defense and center Monika Czinano’s physicality forced 15 South Carolina turnovers. On the offensive end, Iowa busted out the South Carolina defense with pick-and-roll plays, mostly involving Clark and Czinano. The Gamecocks struggled to defend the game, often leaving one of the two wide open. Czinano finished with 18 points.
The South Carolina guards struggled to take advantage of the Iowa defenders who sank so far from them. Many spectators shouted at the guards to “shoot the ball”, but they often missed. South Carolina coach Dawn Staley rotated several players during the game, including Raven Johnson, Bree Hall, Kierra Fletcher and Olivia Thompson. But nothing seemed to be effective, at least for long.
“They did the same thing every other team has done this season,” Fletcher said in tears. “So I definitely think we beat ourselves.”
The only guard to score reliably was Zia Cooke, who used her speed and cunning dribbling moves to score 24 points and keep the Gamecocks in the game. Boston, Cooke and Beal have been at the core of South Carolina’s dominance over the past four seasons.
Many of the seniors may return to South Carolina next season as the NCAA has allowed players an additional year due to the coronavirus pandemic. But the WNBA draft also awaits, with Boston widely regarded as the top roster.
Boston said she had doubts about the draft, but seemed to pass the mantle of team leader to Johnson, saying that when the game ended buzzer sounded, it felt like “the end of an era”.
“After the game I said to her, ‘This is your team,'” Boston said. “You’ve been in the system for two years now. People will look up to you for that leadership role.”
Staley said she would tell Boston to go to the draft.
“There are defenses that have played against her that prevent her from playing her game,” she said, “and it’s hard to manage that. She is amazing. She’s ready.’
Iowa’s focus throughout the game was palpable. The players had a quiet confidence. Although the team regularly talks about the impact of the crowd, it could have played in an empty stadium. The players were glued to each other, to the ball, to their coaches, to the clock.
Even with a 4-point lead with 13 seconds left, Iowa held back the celebration. They paused for a moment with a 4-point lead and 2.9 seconds left. There was no early party. They faced a giant.
And then it happened. Iowa took down one of college basketball’s juggernauts, a team for whom a championship trophy seemed like a mere formality. The stadium exploded. Iowa’s fandom had traveled across the country to see this happen. They proudly recreated their home arena – Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City – as they had done in Seattle during their team’s two regional games. Dallas had become Carver South.
In the Iowa locker room after the game, players said they never had any doubts about the end result. “I feel like we would win all the time,” said Jada Gyamfi, a college freshman.
“We’re here for a reason,” she added. “We are not a Cinderella story.”
Now the team has to reset. It was celebrated in the locker room, but only briefly, center Sharon Goodman said. The Hawkeyes have another game on Sunday. They need to recover and refuel. They need to watch tape and start practicing again.
“We didn’t get this far just to compete in the national championship game,” said Clark. “We’re here to win.”
Remy Tumin reporting contributed.