In one game, the South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team had an opportunity to accomplish two goals: finish the season with a perfect record and get their revenge over the Iowa Hawkeyes. They accomplished both.
On the road to perfection and redemption, South Carolina defeated Iowa 87-75 as they remain undefeated and captured the program’s third NCAA women’s national championship. Tessa Johnson led the way for the Gamecocks with 19 points.
“I wanted to win,” said Johnson. “Our team, we want to win. My teammates are just encouraging, always having my back, telling me, ‘Play how you play.’ So I just did that.”
Kamilla Cardoso added 15 points of her own and grabbed a career-high 17 boards, becoming the fifth player with at least 15 points and 15 rebounds in a championship game in the past 25 seasons. Cardoso, who announced she is entering the WNBA Draft, was also named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.
“Kamilla Cardoso was not going to let us lose a game in the NCAA tournament,” said South Carolina coach Dawn Staley. “She played through an injury, she played like one of the top picks in the WNBA draft and her teammates did something that no teammates have done for anybody who went to the WNBA in our program. They send her off as a national champion. So this is history for us.”
South Carolina collectively suffocated Iowa defensively and ruined Catlin Clark’s hope for an NCAA championship.
“I think the biggest thing is it’s really hard to win these things,” said Clark. “I think I know that better than most people by now, to be so close twice really hurts.”
Despite losing, Clark, who also entered the WNBA Draft and is the NCAA All-Time leader scorer, ended the game with 30 points. Staley, who became the first Black women’s coach to win three national titles, was dripped in emotions as tears fell from her eyes after the win.
“I’m so incredibly happy for our players,” Staley said. “It doesn’t always end like you want it to end, much like last year.”
Last year, Iowa was responsible for ending the Gamecocks’ perfect season, eliminating them in the Final Four. They finished with a 36-1 record. South Carolina has been undefeated since then, plus evened the score.
“I’m super proud of where I work, I’m super proud of our fans — it’s awesome. It’s awesome. It’s unbelievable,” Staley said.
Clark set numerous records this season, but tonight’s victory was historic for the champions. South Carolina capped a 38-0 record, making them the 10th team to complete a perfect season in the history of Division I women’s basketball, joining the elite company of UConn (six times), Baylor (2011-12), Tennessee (1997-98) and Texas (1985-86) as the only programs to accomplish this milestone. They also became the first team since, at least, 2000 to win a title after returning none of its primary starters from a team that reached the Final Four the previous season. Last year, Aliyah Boston went No. 1 in the WNBA draft pick, and four other starters graduated.
South Carolina’s defeat over Iowa also puts them in the same category as the 1991 Tennessee Lady Volunteers as the only two teams to win the national title game against the team that knocked them out in the previous women’s NCAA tournament. With the Gamecocks capturing its third national title in seven tournaments and second in three seasons, South Carolina tied Baylor and Stanford for the third-most championships ever. During that period, they had an outstanding record of 109-3.
“They made history,” Staley, told ESPN’s Holly Rowe. “They etched their names in the history books when this is the unlikeliest group to do it.
Coach Staley’s third title places her among the most successful head coaches in women’s NCAA basketball, alongside Geno Auriemma (11), Pat Summitt (8), Kim Mulkey (4), and Tara VanDerveer (3), who have all won three or more national championships. After accepting the trophy with her team, Staley congratulated Iowa for an “incredible season” and expressed gratitude towards Clark, who broke Division I scoring records for both men and women, for elevating women’s basketball.
“I want to personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport,” Staley said. “She carried a heavy load for our sport. And it’s just — it’s not going to stop here on the collegiate tour, but when she is the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, she’s going to lift that league up as well.” “So, Caitlin Clark, if you’re out there: You are one of the GOATs of our game, and we appreciate you,” Staley said.
Clark, who played her last game at Iowa, set a new record with the most points scored in the first quarter of an NCAA title game by tallying 18. She subbed out of the game with 20.2 seconds to go and received a thunderous ovation from the crowd.
“For me, just the emotions will probably hit me over the next couple of days,” Clark said. “I don’t have much time to sit around and sulk and be upset. I don’t think that’s what I’m about either. Yeah, I’m sad we lost this game, but I’m also so proud of myself, I’m so proud of my teammates, I’m so proud of this program. There’s a lot to be proud of.
She continued, “But there’s going to be tears. It is sad this is all over, and this is the last time I’m going to put on an Iowa jersey. I think just reflecting back and soaking in everything that I was able to do because basically anybody other than me and Coach (Lisa) Bluder never thought this was possible.”
Clark, who scored a whopping 3,951 points during her collegiate career, will presumably be the top pick in the upcoming WNBA draft, which is next week. While she did not win a championship at Iowa, she’s considered a “generational” talent and will forever be in the conversation of one of the greatest players in NCAA history.
