Final Four Live: Iowa Downs South Carolina in Tournament Classic

“I’m getting ahead of myself, OK, but you write it. They’re going. That’s nothing against who they play. I just know how good they are,” Mulkey said.

South Carolina had been undefeated, was dominating teams all season and was the reigning champion. But the Gamecocks had never played a player as good as Caitlin Clark this season.

On Friday, Clark and Iowa managed to do what no other team has done this season, downing South Carolina, 77-73, to make their way to the program’s first championship game — delivering the upset of all upsets in a March that has been filled with them.

South Carolina, before the tournament began, had been the odds-on favorite to win another championship.

Clark finished with 41 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds. One fan prominently waved a sign that read, “In Clark we trust,” as the game wound down.

Iowa, perhaps understandably, celebrated like it had won the championship when the game was over. Clark ran around the arena with a hand to her ear, before stopping and raising both of her arms as Iowa’s white-knuckled fans roared. The team hugged and cheered at midcourt, and the players sang the school’s fight song with fans.

Iowa will play Louisiana State in the title game on Sunday. The third-seeded Tigers advanced to their first title in program history over Virginia Tech earlier Friday night. Louisiana State pulled away late in a mostly back-and-forth game thanks to a one-two punch of Angel Reese and Alexis Morris that proved too much for the Hokies.

Reese produced her 33rd triple-double this season, tying an N.C.A.A. record, with 24 points and 12 rebounds; Morris led all scorers with 27 points.

As that game ended, the American Airlines Center quickly filled for what, understandably, was considered the main event. Spectators wearing black, gold, and garnet were here to see this weekend’s most anticipated college basketball matchup among either N.C.A.A. Final Four, between the unbeaten South Carolina and second-seeded Iowa, led by Clark.

For much of the first half, Iowa dominated South Carolina and got its star forward, Aliyah Boston, into early foul trouble. She played just eight minutes and was scoreless, but Iowa only led by 1 at the half, mostly because of South Carolina’s relentless depth. The lead seemed like it would evaporate quickly with Boston back in the second half.

Iowa’s defensive strategy of a zone defense, dropping Clark from the top of the zone and on to South Carolina forward Aliyah Boston or any post player that got the ball proved to be effective. Clark’s help defense and center Monika Czinano’s physicality forced 15 South Carolina turnovers. On the offensive end, Iowa picked apart South Carolina’s defense with pick-and-roll plays, mostly featuring Clark and Czinano. The Gamecocks struggled to defend the play, often leaving one of the two wide open. Czinano finished with 18 points.

South Carolina’s guards struggled to take advantage of Iowa’s defenders sagging so deeply off them. Many spectators yelled at the guards to “shoot the ball,” but often, when they did, they missed. The struggles forced South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley to try different players throughout the game, including Raven Johnson, Bree Hall, Kierra Fletcher and Olivia Thompson. But nothing seemed to be effective, at least for long.

The only guard that could score reliably was Zia Cooke, who used her speed and crafty dribble moves to score 24 points and keep the Gamecocks in the game.

Iowa’s focus throughout was palpable. They held a calm confidence. While the team frequently talks about the impact of the crowd, it could have been playing in an empty stadium. The players’ attention was glued on each other, on the ball, on their coaches, on the clock.

Even with a 4 point lead with 13 seconds left, Iowa held off on celebrating. They stayed similarly quiet with a 4 point lead and 2.9 seconds left. There was no premature celebration. They were facing a giant.

And then it happened. Iowa took down one of college basketball’s juggernauts, a team for whom a championship trophy seemed to be a formality. The stadium erupted. Iowa’s fandom had traveled around the nation to see this happen. They proudly recreated their home arena — Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City — as they had in Seattle during their team’s two regional games.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/03/31/sports/womens-final-four