A year later, Dawn Staley and South Carolina got their revenge.
After losing to Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes in the Final Four a year ago, the Gamecocks sought their third national championship in program history late Sunday. South Carolina came back from an early double-digit hole to defeat Iowa State 87-75 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland.
With the win, South Carolina completed a perfect season at 38-0, becoming the first undefeated national champion since 2016 and the 10th team in history to do so. The Shamcocks have only lost one game in the past two seasons.
The Hawkeyes' loss was their second consecutive loss in the national championship game, following last year's loss to LSU. Clark, who broke two records in the first quarter Sunday afternoon, scored 30 points for Iowa in his final college game.
Caitlin Clark breaks more records in the first quarter
The Hawkeyes got off to a near-perfect start Sunday afternoon. Five quick points from Kate Martin put them ahead of the game and they started the game on a 10-0 run. Clark took over after Sidney Affolter's layup. She dropped 13 straight points on the Hawkeyes and then hit a near-logo 3-pointer to suddenly put the Hawkeyes up 20-9 at her first media timeout.
The 11-point difference matched the largest point difference the Shamcocks faced all season.
That didn't hold, but Clark broke two more records by the end of the quarter. She finished the period with 18 points thanks to a competitive 3-pointer in the second half against Gamecocks star Camila Cardoso, giving the Hawkeyes a seven-point lead at the end of the period. With this, Clark officially became the NCAA Tournament's all-time leading scorer, needing just 18 points to pass both Maya Moore and Chamick Holsclaw on the scoring list Sunday, but not in the championship game. broke the single-quarter scoring record.
But South Carolina came out strong in the final seconds of the second quarter and entered the locker room with a 49-46 lead. Tehina Paopao made her third 3-pointer of the game, and Raven Johnson picked up a steal from Clark for a layup to end the first half.
South Carolina continues to hold on in the second half.
As has been the case many times this season, the Siamcocks took control in the second half. They responded to a 9-2 run from the Hawkeyes midway through the period with an 11-2 run on huge 3-pointers from Bree Hall and Tessa Johnson. This gave them an 11-point lead, their largest lead of the game at that point.
Just when it looked like they were going to get away with it, Clark sparked an 8-0 blowout with a huge 3-pointer and a shot from the logo, followed by Gabby Marshall's 3-pointer of her own. The difference has now narrowed to just 6 points.
But that was all for Hawkeye. Sidney Affolter cut the deficit to five points with an and-one layup, and the Gamecocks quickly moved forward, taking a double-digit lead again within minutes and holding on for a 12-point victory. Iowa was unable to score the rest of the way after Affolter's free throw.
Clark made 10 of 28 from the field, had eight rebounds and five assists, and scored 30 points for Iowa. She will turn her attention to the WNBA Draft later this month, where the Indiana Fever will almost certainly take her with the No. 1 overall pick. While in Iowa City, Clark was the leading scorer on both the men's and women's college basketball teams, was named National Player of the Year two years in a row, and led the Hawkeyes to three consecutive Big Ten Tournament championships. , won consecutive U.S. championships. She has won countless awards, including games. The Hawkeyes' last two tournament games both broke national viewership records. Her Final Four win over UConn drew 14.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched women's college basketball game on record.
Martin added 16 points and Affolter finished with 12 points for the Hawkeyes. The Hawkeyes didn't score off the bench and shot just 9-of-23 from the 3-point line as a team.
Cardoso had 15 points and 17 rebounds for the Gamecocks. She declared for the WNBA draft ahead of the Final Four. The 6-foot-7 center has dominated South Carolina for the past four years, and she was a huge part of the Gamecocks' undefeated regular season. She is widely expected to be a lottery pick in the draft later this month. ESPN's Michael Vaupel selected Cardoso fourth overall in his latest mock draft earlier this month.
South Carolina's Johnson added 19 points on 7-of-11 field goals off the bench. Paopao had 14 points and Chloe Kitts had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
This championship is just the latest evidence of the dynasty Staley has built in Columbia. Since she took over in 2008, Shammox has advanced to six finals, including four in a row, and now she has won three national titles. Clark dominated the sport all season and helped transform women's basketball in a way that few could, but the Shamcox came out on top once again.
