South Carolina defeated Iowa State 87-75 to win its third NCAA Women's Championship.
Tessa Johnson scored 19 points and Camila Cardoso added 15 points for the Gamecocks, who thwarted Iowa State's hopes for its first championship.
This was the final college game for Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark, who broke Division I scoring records for both men and women and was a player eligible for the WNBA Draft. She had 30 points.
University of South Carolina coach Dawn Staley was overcome with emotion and cried after the win.
“I’m incredibly happy for our players,” Staley said. “It doesn’t always end the way you want it to, like it did last year.”
Last year, it was Iowa that defeated South Carolina in the Final Four, knocking them out of the tournament. But South Carolina hasn't lost a game since then.
“I'm very proud of where I work and I'm very proud of our fans. It's great. It's amazing. It's unbelievable,” Staley said. .
With the win, South Carolina became the 10th team in Division I women's basketball history to post a perfect season.
After accepting the trophy with his team, Staley congratulated Iowa on a “great season” and singled out Clark.
“I would like to personally thank Caitlin Clark for elevating our sport,” Staley said. “She's carried a huge burden for our sport. It's not just that this doesn't stop on the college tour, but when she becomes the No. 1 draft pick in the WNBA, she lifts that league up as well. right.”
“So, Caitlin Clark, if you're out there, you're one of the GOATs of our game and we appreciate you,” Staley said of the acronym for “Greatest of All Time.” I said using