FINAL: South Carolina Gets Sweet Revenge Against Iowa, Claim Program's Third-Ever National Title In 87-75 Win

Author:
Andrew Lyon
Apr 07, 2024

It was the storybook ending that every South Carolina Gamecock fan could've hoped for, with the team winning the national title over the team that knocked them off last seas in Iowa.

The beginning of the game couldn't have gone much worse for South Carolina, who rushed their shots offensively and then weren't getting back in transition defense. Caitlin Clark wouldn't wait long to announce her presence in this game, making three of her first four shots, including two from behind the arc, and getting fouled twice on three-point attempts, leading to 13 points in just the first five minutes and fifteen seconds of the game. However, Carolina would quickly weather the storm, cutting the lead back down to four before a Clark three made it a seven-point Iowa lead at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, South Carolina's offense really began humming thanks to their two true freshmen guards MiLaysia Fulwiley and Tessa Johnson who scored a combined 16 points in the first half. Defensively, Raven Johnson did a phenomenal job of closing off Clark's left side and daring her to drive right into help defense. That strategy lead to Caitlin only scoring three points the entire second quarter and Carolina being up 49-46 at halftime.

In the third quarter, it was the Gamecocks who would come out firing on the offensive end, starting the period on a 6-0 run and pushing their lead to 9 points before some defensive lapses would allow Iowa to go on a 7-2 run of their own and cut the lead to 4 points. However, South Carolina's defense continued to pester the Hawkeyes, holding Clark to four points and taking advantage of the cumulative fatigue that seemed to begin to settle in on Iowa's side.

In the fourth quarter, the Gamecocks would increase their lead to 14 points, but the Hawkeyes would go on a 7-0 run spurred by two consecutive possessions ending in a three-point make, one of them as a result of a Carolina turnover. Despite the late surge from Iowa, they would finish the game 2-8 in the final 6:43 of the game and didn't score in the final 4:12 of the game. The Gamecocks claim their third national championship in program history and become just the fifth women's college basketball program ever to go through an entire season undefeated.

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