college basketball
march madness 2024
Aaliyah Edwards' controversial offensive foul during UW's 71-69 March Madness loss to Iowa in the Final Four on Friday night drew scorn from all sides of the basketball world.
But, unsurprisingly, the harshest statements came from those associated with the Huskies.
“There's probably an illegal screen call on every possession,” UW coach Geno Auriemma said after the game. “All I know is that three or four of them were called to us, but I don't think any of them were called to us. So we made sure not to set up any illegal screens. I think it needs to be done.”
UW forced Iowa into back-to-back turnovers and held the ball after taking a timeout and trailing 70-69 with 10 seconds left.
But then Ms. Edwards was called out for setting up an illegal screen on Iowa State player Gabby Marshall, prompting an immediate outpouring of criticism.
UW then forced Caitlin Clark to foul and made 1 of 2 free throws, but Iowa held on and advanced to the NCAA Tournament championship game.
“That's a terrible decision,” said UW legend and Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi, who won three straight national championships with the Huskies. He spoke on the post-game show.. “We always talk about letting the players decide the game, especially those innocuous calls that didn't really affect the players. They were still going over the screen, but that It's really tough to let the game end like that. … I want the players to make the decision, and it was disappointing that they couldn't do that tonight.”
Taurasi was watching the game on ESPN's alternate broadcast with fellow UConn legends Sue Bird and Brianna Stewart when the call came.
“Wow, what unlucky timing to call an offensive foul,” Taurasi said on the broadcast. “Know how to ruin a match. Oh my god, that's awful.”
Stewart and Bird shared her feelings.
“I want to at least see the shot,” said Bird, a two-time All-American at UW. “It is tough.”
Stewart, who won four consecutive national championships with the program, could barely get the words out.
She just raised an eyebrow, shook her head, and asked, “Were you moving?”
“From my perspective, it was pretty clean,” Edwards said after the game.
Iowa State will face undefeated South Carolina in the national championship game.
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