The unbeaten South Carolina Gamecocks defeated Iowa on Sunday, 87-75, within the NCAA ladies’s championship.
The Gamecocks’ win ended Caitlin Clark’s remaining sport at Iowa. In February, Clark grew to become the all-time NCAA Division I scoring chief, smashing the late Pete Maravich’s 54-year-old report. Clark scored 30 factors on Sunday.
South Carolina was 37-0 going into Sunday’s sport, turning into the primary undefeated champion since UConn in 2016. Sunday marked their second nationwide championship in three years and third at school historical past, based on CBS Sports activities.
With Daybreak Staley directing a relentless assault from the sideline, the Gamecocks grew to become the tenth Division I workforce to undergo a season with no loss. They usually completed the feat after they misplaced all 5 starters from final season’s workforce that misplaced to Clark’s squad within the nationwide semifinals.
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“Simply actually need to say congratulations to Iowa and Caitlin for making it again to the nationwide championship sport,” Staley mentioned through the post-game information convention. “Clearly, they’re a formidable opponent that took every part that we needed to win the basketball sport, however I simply do not need to not make the most of this chance to thank Caitlin for what she’s finished for ladies’s basketball.”
“Anytime somebody like Coach Staley is ready to acknowledge you and what you probably did for the sport is fairly particular,” Clark mentioned on the information convention. “And clearly she’s somebody I, , respect a lot. I respect what she’s finished for South Carolina.”
Clark did all she may to steer the Hawkeyes to their first championship. She scored 30 factors, together with a championship-record 18 within the first quarter. She is going to go down as one of many biggest gamers in NCAA historical past. She rewrote the report guide at Iowa (34-5), ending because the profession main scorer in NCAA Division I historical past with 3,951 profession factors.
She hopes her legacy is not outlined by falling quick in two NCAA championship video games, however extra by the tens of millions of latest followers she helped deliver into the sport and the numerous younger women and boys that she impressed.
“I imply, she has raised the joy of our sport,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder mentioned on the post-game convention. “Simply because she does issues differently than anybody else can do. Plus, she has all of the intangibles. She’s an awesome pupil, she’s an awesome function mannequin. She does every part.”
Ben Solomon/NCAA Photographs by way of Getty Pictures
President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted their congratulations to South Carolina on Saturday night.
“Congratulations to @GamecockWBB on closing out an ideal season with a NCAA Ladies’s Basketball Championship win – your teamwork, focus, and tenacity was on full show all yr,” Mr. Biden wrote. “You’ve got made your faculty and group proud.”
“Undefeated. Undisputed,” Harris wrote, praising the workforce and Coach Staley. “I am unable to wait to see you once more — this time, celebrating on the White Home.”
South Carolina has received three titles within the final eight years, together with two of the previous three, to put declare to being the newest dynasty in ladies’s basketball. Staley grew to become the fifth coach to win three nationwide championships, becoming a member of Geno Auriemma, Pat Summitt, Kim Mulkey and Tara VanDerveer.The Gamecocks, who’ve received 109 of their final 112 video games, grew to become the primary workforce since UConn in 2016 to go undefeated. South Carolina had a pair scares all through the season, however all the time discovered a method to win.
With many of the workforce returning subsequent yr apart from star heart Kamilla Cardoso, Staley’s workforce is in an excellent place to maintain this run going. Tessa Johnson led South Carolina with 19 factors. Cardoso had 15 factors and 17 rebounds.
