By DOUG FEINBERG (AP Basketball Writer)
In the women’s Final Four on Friday night, Caitlin Clark scored 21 points to lead Iowa to a 71-69 victory over UConn.
The Hawkeyes (34-4) will play unbeaten South Carolina next, in a rematch of last year's national semifinals. Last year, Iowa beat South Carolina but fell short in the championship game. Clark is now one win away from bringing Iowa its first women’s basketball title in her college career.
Clark said South Carolina is skilled and that anyone can win at this stage. Iowa will prepare for the upcoming game.
The leading scorer in NCAA Division I had a tough start due to strong defense from UConn, but eventually found her rhythm in the fourth quarter.
With the game tied at 51-all, Clark scored seven points in the first 2 1/2 minutes of the period to give Iowa a small lead. UConn later closed the gap to 60-57 before the Hawkeyes scored six straight points to go up 66-57.
Iowa was ahead 70-66 when Nika Muhl hit a 3-pointer after a steal, bringing the Huskies within one point.
With 10 seconds left, Iowa's Hannah Stuelke turned over the ball. UConn had a chance to take the lead, but Aaliyah Edwards was called for an offensive foul, resulting in a turnover with 4.6 seconds left.
After Clark made one free throw and missed the second, her teammate Sydney Affolter got the rebound. UConn tied her up, resulting in a jump ball. The Hawkeyes retained possession and secured the win by running out the final seconds.
Stuelke scored 23 points to lead Iowa. Clark also contributed with nine rebounds and seven assists.
Clark complimented her team's performance in the fourth quarter, showcasing resilience and teamwork from her teammates.
Paige Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards both scored 17 points for UConn, who made a strong comeback after a one-year pause from the Final Four. This season was challenging for UConn due to injuries, but Bueckers played exceptionally well.
Bueckers, the national player of the year in 2021, led the Huskies back to title contention after facing multiple injuries.
UConn took an early lead with Bueckers' performance and strong defense by Nika Muhl and her teammates, leading by 12 points in the second quarter.
Iowa was behind by six at halftime but gained momentum in the third quarter, with Clark making key plays. She made a 3-pointer and a four-point play to bring Iowa within one point. The team then took the lead, but a collision between Martin and Edwards caused a delay as Martin had a bloody nose.
Martin returned to the Iowa bench while the court was still being cleaned. She then made three important baskets towards the end of the game.
Iowa coach Lisa Bluder expressed great satisfaction with her team's performance in the second half of the game. She admitted that the first half was challenging, but the team maintained their belief.
Clark had a difficult first half, only scoring six points and missing all six of her 3-point attempts. She struggled to find open shots and appeared frustrated at times. Iowa’s coaches continued to offer words of encouragement to their exceptional player.
Despite her lack of scoring, Clark contributed to the Hawkeyes' performance with six rebounds and four assists, while they trailed 32-26 at halftime.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket/ and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
