Lisa Bluder breaks down Iowa's strong first quarter vs. South Carolina in Final Four

Iowa knew it would have its hands full against an undefeated South Carolina team in Friday’s Final Four matchup, but the Hawkeyes came out firing. They had a 22-13 lead after the first quarter, and head coach Lisa Bluder spoke highly of how her team followed the game plan in the early going.

The Hawkeyes held Aliyah Boston scoreless as she committed two fouls in the opening period. Bluder said that’s a testament to how well her team followed the script, which called for defending the paint and turning defense into offense.

“We’ve done a great job,” Bluder told ESPN’s Holly Rowe after the first quarter. “We just have to know our personnel. I think we’re doing as good a job as we can boxing out. It’s tough. They’re big. I’m really proud of Gabbie [Marshall’s] defense right now. She’s doing a great job. Of course, we’ve gotten to the rim a couple of times, which has been really nice.”

One of the biggest keys for Iowa will be to get Caitlin Clark going, and she did well in the first quarter with 11 early points to lead the Hawkeyes. South Carolina defended her well on the inbounds, which meant the Hawkeyes had to get the ball to someone else first before finding Clark in the open court. It seemed like it worked — but Bluder still wanted to see a faster pace as her team headed back down the floor.

That said, Clark was still able to play her game despite the stout defense from the Gamecocks, and Bluder pointed that out as a bright spot to getting through South Carolina’s pressure.

“OK,” Bluder said of how Iowa has handled the defense against Clark. “We’re not getting the speed out of that we’d like to. She’s getting the ball in her hands, right? She’s able to facilitate and run our offense, so that’s pretty good.”

Clark is in the midst of an impressive NCAA Tournament — and season, for that matter — as her stock continues to rise. She’s coming off an all-time performance in the Elite Eight, notching the first 40-point triple-double in men’s or women’s NCAA tournament history. She finished with 41 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists to lead Iowa past Louisville and advance to the Final Four.

The winner of Friday’s game will advance to the national championship, where they will take on No. 3 seed LSU in Dallas on Sunday.