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Caitlin Clark leads Iowa women's basketball to Final Four upset with historic performance

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•03/31/23•

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Iowa star Caitlin Clark
Photo by Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Friday night, Iowa and South Carolina faced off in the most anticipated game of the year with a trip to the national championship on the line. It did not disappoint.

Thanks to Caitlin Clark — who else? — the Hawkeyes are moving on.

Clark had another impressive performance on the big stage, setting a new semifinal record with 41 points to lead Iowa to the 77-73 victory over No. 1 seed South Carolina to hand the Gamecocks their first loss of the year. Not only did Clark score the ball at a high level, but she added eight assists and either scored or assisted on every Iowa point in the fourth quarter.

During her postgame interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe, Clark made sure to pass the praise on to her teammates even despite her historic day.

“All that matters is that we won at the end of the day,” Clark said. “The scoreboard says that the Iowa Hawkeyes won. That’s exactly what we did.”

Caitlin Clark: ‘All we had to do was have some heart and some belief’ vs. South Carolina

Iowa was in the driver’s seat early on, but South Carolina managed to jump out in front and take a lead at one point. But the Hawkeyes fought back and led by as many as nine before the Gamecocks made things interesting in the second half. The game went back-and-forth in the fourth quarter after South Carolina trailed after three periods for the second time all season.

It wasn’t easy down the stretch as South Carolina made a few runs, but Iowa managed to hold on. Now, the Hawkeyes are heading to the national championship for the first time in program history.

“All we did was believe in each other,” Clark said. “We might not be the tallest. We knew they were going to beat us on the glass, but all we had to do was have some heart and some belief. And we just came through when we needed big plays. I’m just so proud of this group, man.”

It was yet another record-setting performance for Clark, whose star is rising at an incredible rate as the NCAA Tournament rolls on. Her huge night came after she turned in the first 40-point triple-double in men’s or women’s tournament history — 41 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists — in the Elite Eight against Louisville.

Now, Iowa advances to the national championship against LSU. That game tips off Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ABC.