The South Carolina Gamecocks entered the women’s competition on Friday night. NCAA Final Four game against Iowa on a 42-game winning streak and looking to return to the national championship for the second year in a row.
The most dominant team in women’s college basketball it was stopped short by Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes, trailing 77-73 as Iowa advanced to Sunday’s national championship game.
Caitlin Clark, #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes, dribbles against Raven Johnson, #25 of the South Carolina Gamecocks, during the third quarter of the semifinal game of the Final Four of the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament in the American Airlines Center on March 31, 2023 in Dallas, Texas (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
South Carolina was the more physical team all night, dominating the cup by iowa beating 49-25, including grabbing 26 offensive rebounds against Iowa’s smaller team.
HAWKEYES STAR CAITLIN CLARK WALKS AWAY FROM UNGUARDED SOUTH CAROLINA PLAYER AS IOWA STUNS TITLE FAVORITE
After the loss, South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley was asked about other coaches who called their team «thugs», to which Staley vigorously defended her players.
«We’re not bar brawlers. We’re not thugs. We’re not monkeys. We’re not street brawlers,» Staley said. «This team exemplifies how you need to approach basketball, on and off the court. I think that sometimes comes into the game. And it hurts.»
Thursday, iowa head coach Lisa Bluder called South Carolina an «incredible offensive rebounding team.»
«Someone described it to me like you’re going to a bar fight when you’re trying to bounce off of them, they’re so good,» Bluder said, according to ESPN.
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Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks is seen during the first quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament semifinal game at American Airlines Center on March 31, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Staley went on to call members of the national media. «Some of the people in the media, when they get together in public, they’re saying things about our team and they’re being listened to,» Staley said. «And they’re giving it back to me. And these are the people who write nationally for our sports. So, you can’t like our team, and you can’t like me. But when you say things that you probably should be saying at home on the phone or texting, in public, and they listen to you, and you are a national writer of our sport, it just confirms what we already know.
«So don’t judge us by the color of our skin,» Staley continued. «Judge us by how we approach the game. And you may not like how we play the game. You may not like it. That’s the way we play. That’s the way I coach. I’m not going to change.»
South Carolina’s incredible season came to a near halt no help from clarkwho scored all 13 points for Iowa, finishing with 41 points on the night.
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Iowa’s Kate Martin tries to get past Aliyah Boston of South Carolina during the first half of a semifinal game of the NCAA Women’s Final Four on Friday, March 31, 2023, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
«We had nothing to lose. I have all the confidence in the world in this group, and they believe in me, and that’s all you need,» Clark said. «All we do is believe in each other, and we love each other to death, and that’s what a true team is. If you want an example of a team, that’s what it is.»
The Hawkeyes will face Kim Mulkey and the LSU Tigers on Sunday for the national championship.