The South Carolina Gamecocks Finish Undefeated Season as National Champions
Cleveland - This was the first National Championship that the number one offense (Iowa) and number one defense (South Carolina) faced off against one another. South Carolina finally got their revenge against Iowa after losing in the Final Four last season. Caitlin Clark's historic career has now come to an end, one win away from the Hawkeyes first National Championship in school history. It was a privilege to view her greatness these past few seasons, the game is only going to get better after how she changed the way it's played.
Kate Martin opened up the scoring for the Hawkeyes, scoring the first five points of the game. They opened up on a 13-2 run before Kamilla Cardoso finally got a shot to drop. Caitlin Clark was not messing around after her slow start against UCONN. She scored 18 first-quarter points, including getting fouled on two different three-point attempts. That is the most points scored ever in a quarter of a National Championship game. The Gamecocks went on an 11-2 run of their own to minimize the deficit.
Cardoso being 6’7, made it easy for her to contest shots and score over the top of her defenders. The Gamecocks were feeding the ball to her on almost every possession, which led to a 7-0 run to open up the second quarter. Raven Johnson was the primary defender on Clark and she did as well of a job as anyone can guarding the best player in college basketball. South Carolina got their first lead of the game just after the five-minute mark in the second quarter. Iowa was doing a great job in creating fouls against South Carolina, which meant Dawn Staley had to move her lineup around to keep those in foul trouble on the bench. Johnson stole the ball away from Clark in the final possession of the quarter to secure a three-point lead going into halftime.
Te-Hina Paopao and Chloe Kitts were instrumental in extending the lead for South Carolina. The elite shooting from Paopao and the length of Kitts were of extreme importance for the Gamecocks. Gabbie Marshall, in her final game for Iowa, knocked down her first shot of the game by swishing a corner three, narrowing the lead down to four points. South Carolina responded with an 8-0 run to extend the lead to double digits. Tessa Johnson, freshman for the Gamecocks, was an absolute barnburner from three-point range. She led the Gamecocks with 19 points (career high), including shooting 3/6 (50%) from deep. With only 10 more minutes left to play, the Gamecocks led 68-59.
Milaysia Fulwiley is an elite ball handler and she showcased it by displaying a series of fancy moves while driving into the paint. Iowa was not giving up any means as they went on an 8-0 run of their own. Caitlin Clark and Gabbie Marshall both knocked down three-pointers to cut the lead to just six points. With 4:13 remaining, Iowa was in the bonus the rest of the way which was crucial in their comeback efforts. Kamilla Cardoso proved to be the ultimate difference maker, she was unstoppable in her rebounding and second-chance points efforts. With 1:07 left on the clock, South Carolina held a 10-point lead and there simply wasn’t enough time for Iowa to come back.
South Carolina won their third National Championship in school history, 87-75, going undefeated the entire season. This is the first time a women’s college basketball team has gone undefeated since the 2016 UConn Huskies with Breanna Stewart. The historic run of Caitlin Clark in college basketball has now run its course and she will now take the spotlight to the WNBA, where she is predicted to be taken first overall. What she has done for the young boys and girls who strive to be great, is second to none.
