South Carolina Star Admits Caitlin Clark Iowa Moment That Nearly Made Her Quit
It's interesting to see how good of friends Indiana Fever stars Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark have become, given the rivalry they had back in college.
Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes ended Boston's college career with the South Carolina Gamecocks during the Final Four of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Clark went nuclear during that game, scoring 41 points (including 5 made three-pointers) and adding 6 rebounds and 8 assists to end South Carolina's undefeated season.
Of course, Clark's success in that game didn't come directly against Boston, as they play different positions. Instead, Clark was mainly guarded by Gamecocks guard Raven Johnson. And Clark was primarily guarding Johnson when she was in the game.
Raven Johnson Reflects on Caitlin Clark Moment That Sparked Backlash
Johnson was the guest on a March 28 episode of the "I AM NEXT" podcast and shared a story about that fateful 2023 Final Four game.
"And then another adversity would probably be Caitlin Clark," Johnson said, per an X post from @IAMATHLETEpod. The video then showed footage of Clark defending Johnson inside the paint while Johnson was standing along the three-point line during that game, essentially daring her to shoot a three-pointer, which Johnson passed up on multiple times.
"That's one reason I hate the internet now, because of that situation. Like, I got bashed, I got bullied, I got called all these things that I wasn't... I don't know. It was just things like that, and I just think I wanted to quit basketball at that time. And I just wanted to go into this little bubble of isolation, and just be by myself. And I think, you know, I leaned on God, I had some wonderful teammates, wonderful people in my life," Johnson continued.
"And they helped me find that light, and they put so much fuel to the fire for me, to go back the next year, and we went undefeated, and met that team again. And we beat them, so I think that was all God's plan," Johnson concluded.
Talk about adding fuel to the fire…
— I AM ATHLETE (@IAMATHLETEpod) March 28, 2026
In 2023 Raven Johnson went VIRAL for being waved off by Caitlin Clark at the 3 point line 🤯
Raven told us how that moment came full circle 😤‼️ pic.twitter.com/HFCMaNnOlp
She's alluding to the 2024 National Championship game, where her Gamecocks squad beat Clark's Hawkeyes by a score of 87-75. Clark finished that game with 30 points (including going 5 of 13 from three-point range), 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 turnovers in 40 minutes played.
Johnson scored 3 points on 1 of 11 shooting from the field, including 0 of 4 from three-point range, to go along with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals in 37 minutes played, but ultimately secured the victory.
Props to Johnson for being willing to address this moment.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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