It was going to take a special team with a special player to beat undefeated south carolina in the NCAA Women’s Tournament.
It was also going to require a player with great confidence to end the perfect Gamecocks season.
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)
Enter Caitlin Clark.
WWE LEGEND JOHN CENA APPROVES IOWA’S CAITLIN CLARK’S ‘YOU CAN’T SEE ME’ MOCK IN HISTORIC VICTORY OVER LOUISVILLE
The Iowa junior put on a show Friday night in Dallas, Texas, scoring 41 points in a 77-73 win over send hawk eyes to the program’s first national championship game.
Clark led the Hawkeyes in style, at one point leaving South Carolina guard Raven Johnson wide open above the three-point line, agitating her and daring her to shoot.
Clark and the Hawkeyes snapped South Carolina’s 42-game winning streak and the Gamecocks’ dream of repeating as national champions.
«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.»
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Clark, the Women’s College Basketball Player of the Year, became the first female player to score 40+ points in consecutive games. NCAA Tournament Games.
Caitlin Clark, #22, reacts after her victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks during the semifinals of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Final Four at American Airlines Center on March 31, 2023, in Dallas, Texas. (Photos by Ben Solomon/NCAA via Getty Images)
«I love Caitlin Clark,» Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. «We’ve been talking a lot about being mission focused this year, and we had a game plan and these guys executed it very well. That’s South Carolina we just beat, folks. Awesome.»
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The Hawkeyes will face LSU in the national championship game Sunday, as coach Kim Mulkey brings her Tigers one game away from a championship in just her second season in Baton Rouge.
Caitlin Clark, #22, of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates after the Hawkeyes defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks 77-73 during the semifinal game of the Final Four of the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at the American Airlines Center on May 31. March 2023, in Dallas, Texas. (Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
«Tonight showed how much fun women’s basketball is,» Clark said. «I’m sure some people wish this was a seven-game series.»
Associated Press contributed to this report.