Caitlin Clark scores 41 as belief carries Iowa to Final Four win vs. South Carolina

The Iowa Hawkeyes advanced to the national championship game with a Final Four win over South Carolina that took everything the team had.

Despite being out-shot and out-rebounded by a considerable margin in the game, the Hawkeyes found ways to get star Caitlin Clark opportunities to score in key moments. And boy did she deliver.

“All we did was believe in each other,” Clark said after the game. “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.”

Clark was downright dominant in the win, particularly down the stretch in the fourth quarter. She scored 41 points in the game, her second outing in this NCAA Tournament with 40 points.

And exhausted and cramping after the game, Clark deflected praise.

“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.”

South Carolina had a mammoth rebounding edge, winning 49-25, nearly doubling up Iowa in the Final Four contest.

“Man, it was physical,” Clark said. “You’ve got to give them a lot of credit, they’re a tremendous team. They’ve had a tremendous year, obviously so well-coached. They killed us on the glass but we never hung our heads. We just came right back down every single possession and got after it.”

If not for Clark’s heroics, things might have ended differently for the Hawkeyes.

But she found ways to impact the game both as a passer and a scorer, and she credited the team’s belief after the game for helping them pull through.

“All we do is believe in one another and we love each other to death, and that’s what a true team is,” Clark said. “If you want an example of a team, that’s what this is. Coach (Lisa) Bluder knows how to create a team, she knows how to create a culture where everybody is valued and I’m just lucky to be a part of it. I just love these girls to death.”

It’s been a heck of a ride in the Final Four and it’s one that will have one more stop. Waiting on the other side, a national title.

“We had nothing to lose. I had all the confidence in the world in this group,” Clark said. “They believe right back in me, and that’s all you need is just teammates that believe in you, coaches that believe in you, a program and a university that supports you. The state of Iowa, they’ve supported me like no other and I love it.”