Hannah Stuelke admits she was never worried in Final Four despite late controversy

With 10 ticks left on the clock, Iowa needed one more stop to secure the victory and advance to the national title game, and they got it.

Ultimately, it was Gabbie Marshall who came up with a huge defensive stop once again this postseason. Back in the Big Ten tourney title game, she smothered a Cornhusker 3-point attempt with under 30 seconds to play in OT to seal the deal. Then, vs. West Virginia in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, she blocked another shot with two minutes to go which led to a lead-taking layup for Iowa.

This time around, Marshall’s defensive stop was more controversial, as she drew an illegal screen call against UConn with three seconds to play when hustling over to double the Husky ball-handler. There’s no doubt it was an illegal moving screen, but fans across the country debated all night long whether a referee should or should not swallow the whistle in such a situation.

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Iowa’s star players weren’t too concerned about the controversy in the postgame and starting center Hannah Stuelke revealed that the Hawkeyes never panicked late.

“I don’t think I was ever worried about the game. You know, we had the chance to get a defensive stop, and that’s what we did,” said Stuelke, crediting Marshall for another huge defensive play. “Gabbie’s great in those situations. She always comes up with big plays, whether it’s a block or whatever.”

Caitlin Clark chimed in and agreed with Stuelke, touting Marshall’s clutch defensive prowess.

“Like Hannah said, Gabbie Marshall comes up with big plays all the time. You see it time and time again for us. And she doesn’t get enough credit. She guards one of the best players in the country and really challenges her quite a bit.”

Marshall only scored five points and made 2-9 shots from the field in the Final Four matchup, but was still incredibly impactful, obviously making that final play, but also remaining in the game for 39 of 40 minutes while guarding Husky star Paige Bueckers, who had a down night by her standards. Clark noted Marshall’s impact in that regard.

“Paige had a great game. I thought Gabbie played great defense on her. Even when Paige made tough baskets, Gabbie just responded and kept guarding her,” said Clark. “I’m really proud of her. And I’m proud of our group for just being able to flip the page and move on to the next play.”

Clark did regret some late turnovers by Iowa that set UConn up with a chance to take the lead in the final seconds, but she says that’s all in the rearview now since the Hawkeyes were able to respond and get the stop.

“Our group is so mature and experienced that you don’t have time to worry about that. It happened, it’s over, you better focus and move on to the next play.”

Now, they’ll move on to the next game, a championship game matchup with undefeated South Carolina.