Yahoo Sports Staff
Caitlin Clark, Iowa survive against UConn
A stifling UConn defense held Caitlin Clark and Iowa to their worst first half of the season.
It wasn't enough.
The Hawkeyes found their footing in the third quarter and then battled through the fourth to rally past the Huskies for a 71-69 win to secure a trip to the national championship game. Iowa looked in control while holding a three-possession late in the fourth quarter. But victory wasn't in hand until a late UConn turnover on a controversial offensive foul.
Read the full story from Jason Owens right here.
South Carolina still perfect
No. 1 South Carolina is still undefeated and advancing to the NCAA tournament championship game after a 78-59 win over No. 3 NC State on Friday.
Projected WNBA lottery pick Kamilla Cardoso led the Gameco*cks with 22 points and 11 rebounds despite an injury scare in the second quarter. Sophom*ore forward Ashlyn Watkins contributed a whopping 20 rebounds from the bench.
NC State's story this season has been all about exceeding expectations, and that trend continued through the first half of the team's Final Four matchup with the Gameco*cks. Twenty minutes into Friday's game, the Wolfpack showcased how they were able to upset No. 2 seed Stanford and No. 1 seed Texas in the tournament.
Read the full story from Callie Lawson-Freeman right here.
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Yahoo Sports Staff
SO HYPE ‼️🔥#WFinalFour x @IowaWBB pic.twitter.com/nHugPA02jf
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) April 6, 2024
Yahoo Sports Staff
Iowa soaking it in after earning a second straight trip to the national title game.
Sunday can't come soon enough 🔥#WFinalFour x @IowaWBB pic.twitter.com/BBEdJnuHWP
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) April 6, 2024
Jack Baer
Final: Iowa 71, UConn 69
Caitlin Clark had to grind through a full game with Nika Muhl on her, but Hannah Stuelke came up huge as Iowa notches a Final Four comeback win.
Their reward will be a date with undefeated, No. 1 overall seed on Sunday.
Jack Baer
See AlsoCaitlin Clark – One of OneShe makes the first, misses the second, but Iowa gets the rebound. It results in a held ball, but Iowa has the possession arrow! 1.1 seconds left, 71-69 Iowa.
Jack Baer
Caitlin Clarks gets the inbound and will shoot free throws.
Jack Baer
Verdict?
Aaliyah Edwards was called for an offensive foul on this possession. pic.twitter.com/1INxb2YHE2
— ESPN (@espn) April 6, 2024
Jack Baer
That call was pretty iffy, and it might decide what has been a wild game.
Jack Baer
WHOA. The refs call an offensive foul on Aaliyah Edwards and it'll be Iowa ball up 1 with 3.9 seconds left. Looks like it was a hard screen on Gabby Marshall.
Jack Baer
Caitlin Clark gets the ball with 39 seconds left and opts to burn clock, but the possession results in a turnover. It'll be UConn ball with 9.3 seconds left. Here we go.
Jack Baer
What a huge play for UConn. The Huskies pressure Hannah Stuelke up top and come away with a steal, then Nika Muhl hits a 3-pointer to make it 70-69. After a slow start, this is definitely a game.
Jack Baer
After a couple of big Kate Martin baskets and an empty possession for UConn, it's 70-66 Iowa with a minute remaining. And now UConn starts fouling?
Jack Baer
A Nika Muhl steal and Paige Bueckers 3 cuts it to 66-62 Iowa. Huskies aren't going away.
Muhl steal into a Paige 3 was huge at this stage pic.twitter.com/yjlEaQKgUo
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) April 6, 2024
Jack Baer
It's a 2-pointer, 66-57 Iowa. Basically a free timeout for UConn after a bad sequence too.
Jack Baer
Ice Brady and Nika Muhl have both missed wide-open 3s while Iowa extends the lead to double digits 67-57. Refs are taking a look to see if Gabbie Marshall's was actually a 2, but the Huskies are in a bad place either way
GABBIE MARSHALL MAKES IT A 9-POINT GAME FOR IOWA! #MarchMadness #WBB pic.twitter.com/xKl8v52gTc
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 6, 2024
Jack Baer
The sell-out announcement is made to the crowd: 18,284
Among the celebs in attendance: Darius Rucker, Machine Gun Kelly, Kylie Kelce, Jason Sudeikis, Cheryl Miller, Nancy Lieberman, Maya Moore-Irons, Seimone Augustus, basically all of the active USA Basketball team
— Cassandra Negley (@CasNegley) April 6, 2024
Jack Baer
And now Clark draws Ice Brady's fourth foul of the game. She's starting to have that look
Jack Baer
Caitlin Clark drills another three to give Iowa its first two-possession lead of the game.
Cassandra Negley
Four players not named Clark or Buckers to watch down the final 10 minutes:
UConn: Nika Muhl is playing key defense against Clark and stayed out of foul trouble. She also has five assists. KK Arnold is in foul trouble with four. The freshman has played the efficient game for the Huskies and is second on the team with 12 points and four assists.
Iowa: Hannah Stuelke is the offense right now. Keep feeding her. Sydney Affolter is making big buckets at the right moments.
Jack Baer
We're all tied 51-51 after three quarters. Caitlin Clark is up to 13 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, while Hannah Stuelke leads all scorers with 19 points.
Jack Baer
Muhl is back in the game, while Martin is back on the bench.
