The Iowans ended South Carolina’s perfect season in the women’s Final Four

The Big Break: Caitlin Clark Wins 77-73 in the Semifinals of Second-Seed South Carolina and LSU in the Final Four

South Carolina’s march to the national championship title seemed all but assured – the defending champion and No.1 seed was on a 42-straight game win streak, spanning 389 days and dating back to last season’s national title run.

It would take one of the great NCAA performances to topple the Gamecocks, and that is exactly what Caitlin Clark produced on Friday as she led second-seed Iowa to a stunning 77-73 victory in the Final Four over the undefeated defending champion at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

Clark hit two free throws after South Carolina fouled her with 13.5 seconds left. The two points were the most for her in a Final Four semifinal game.

The newly crowned AP Player of the Year also added eight assists and six rebounds, as well as the last 13 points for the Hawkeyes in the fourth quarter, propelling them to their first NCAA title game in program history.

“It was physical. You’ve got to give them a lot of credit,” Clark said. “They’re a tremendous team, they’ve had a tremendous year, obviously so well-coached.”

The leader of the Gamecocks was Cooke, who had 24 points. The Hawkeyes harassed South Carolina’s forwards by packing the paint, daring them to shoot from the outside. The defense seemed to bamboozle the Gamecocks, who finished 4 for 20 from behind the 3-point line. They were unable to take advantage of their strong rebound margin, which included 26 offensive boards.

Like Iowa, LSU upset a No.1 seed in the Final Four on its route to the final, embarking on an epic comeback after trailing by nine points at the beginning of the fourth quarter to secure its spot.

Trailing 59-50 after three quarters, LSU went ahead with a 15-0 run over a five-minute span. The Tigers led for the first time since late in the first half when Falu’jae Johnson had a steal and drove for a layup to make it 64-62.

LSU guard Alexis Morris scored a game-high 27 points, and star forward Angel Reese added 24 points and 12 rebounds, including a combined 20 of LSU’s 29 points in the fourth quarter.

“It’s like a dream. Reese, the player who carries the nickname “Bayou Barbie,” said that it doesn’t hit him that he’s at the Final Four. “I’m just not even believing this right now. It’s crazy how much my life has changed in one year.”

Kim Mulkey is returning to the national championship game for the third time, but this time she is taking the flagship university from her home state.

“I came home for lots of reasons,” she said after the LSU victory. Someday, the PMAC will hold a championship banner. Do you ever think you will do something like this in two years?

DALLAS — Caitlin Clark tossed the ball high in the air as the clock ticked down, gave a huge shout-out to her adoring fans and then took off on a gleeful gallop around the court.

She is the first woman to post back-to-back 40-point performances in the NCAA Tournament. The Hawkeyes are only one win away from a national championship, and that’s been the case before.

They’ll have to beat another SEC team to do that as Iowa (31-6) will face LSU in the title game on Sunday afternoon. In the other national semifinal, Virginia Tech was beaten by the Tigers.

This is one of the most talked about and highly anticipated girls’ Final Fours in history due to the riveting play of Clark and the historic year by South Carolina.

This was Iowa’s first appearance in the Final Four in 30 years. The last time the Hawkeyes advanced this far was 1993 under coach C. Vivian Stringer, whose team lost to Ohio State in overtime.

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Clark wowed the crowd that included Harper Stribe, a young fan of the team who has been battling cancer. The Hawkeyes’ star received a surprise video that let them know she was the AP Player of the Year.

Trailing 59-55 entering the fourth quarter, South Carolina scored the first five points to take the lead. Clark answered right back with two deep 3-pointers and an assist to Monika Czinano to give the Hawkeyes a 67-62 lead.

It took two seasons for LSU to get there with the feisty and flamboyant coach, and a big comeback in Friday’s national semifinal game that was quite an undercard.

I’m never satisfied. Morris jumped on a courtside table after LSU’s win, and said that he was hungry. “Like, I’m greedy. I want to win it all so I can complete the story.”

Reese had six points in that game-changing spurt, one of them being a basket after Morris’ missed 3-pointer. Reese had a second-effort follow of her own miss after rebounding another shot by Morris.

Virginia Tech was in the Final Four for the first time, and that’s thanks to the 18 points and 12 rebound of Elizabeth Kitley. Georgia Amoore and Kayana Traylor each had 17 points, while Cayla King had 14.

Amoore set a record for the most 3-pointers in a single NCAA Tournament with 24, but she had a hard time shooting, even though she had a tough night. She passed Kia Nurse’s record 22 set in the 2017 tourney for UConn, which lost in the national semifinals on the same court. Arizona’s Aari McDonald had 22 in six NCAA tourney games two years ago.

The big run for LSU came right after Amoore made her last 3-pointer with 7:52 left for a 62-57 lead. The Hokies had not made another basket until King’s 3.

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“I think we missed a number of box-outs which allowed them to score on second-chance opportunities,” Traylor said. I think that’s what it came down to.

They hit a couple of shots, that gave them a boost. They hit a 3 right off the bat … The momentum was kind of changed by that. They were aggressive in the pass lanes. They were a bit more aggressive down low.

But it was the Tigers who led for 17:55 of the first half with the Hokies getting off to a slow start shooting — they missed eight of their first nine shots — that an LSU cheerleader had an assist even before they officially had a shot.

King was charged with a turnover on a ball that hit the rim and bounced over the top of the backboard and got stuck there. With encouragement from officials and others at that end, a male cheerleader lifted up a female cheerleader, who knocked the ball down.

March Madness has been historic for Iowa and LSU, with the two schools reaching the National Championship game for the first time in school history.

Along the way, the achievements of the star player in Iowa have reached beyond the realm of historic and become almost superhuman as she has amassed a pile of record-breaking feats.

“I think she’s the most phenomenal basketball player in America. I just don’t think there’s anybody like her,” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder told reporters after her team sealed its spot in the final.

The thing that really makes her stand out is her mentality, that she believes in herself and her teammates.

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The offense that Iowa has excelled at, averaging 86 points per game in March Madness, will be at the center of the gameplan.

We know we only have left in our season. That’s all we have left with McKenna (Warnock) and Monika (Czinano), who have given their heart and soul to this program,” she added, referencing a senior and fifth year in the team.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the court, LSU’s Angel Reese has also had a record-breaking tournament, becoming the first ever player to have 100 points, 70 rebounds, 10 blocks and 10 steals in a single NCAA tournament, as well as tying the NCAA single-season record for double-doubles at 33, according to ESPN.