The South Carolina Gamecocks entered the women’s game on Friday night NCAA Final Four game against Iowa in a 42-game winning streak and looking to return to the national championship for the second year in a row.
dominant team in Women’s College Basketball It was stopped in its tracks by Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes, losing 77-73 as Iowa advanced to the national championship game on Sunday.
Kaitlin Clark, #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes, tackles Raven Johnson, #25 of the South Carolina Gamecocks, during the third quarter during the 2023 Women’s Basketball Tournament Final Semifinals at the American Airlines Center on March 31, 2023, in Dallas, Texas. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
South Carolina was the most physical team all night, dominating the glass outside of Iowa 49-25, including grabbing 26 offensive rebounds against a smaller Iowa team.
HAWKEYES star Caitlin Clark rocks rebellious South Carolina player as IOWA STUNS TITLE FAVORITE
after the loss, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley was asked about other coaches who called her team “bullies”, to which Staley vigorously defended her players.
“We’re not outlawed fighters. We’re not thugs. We’re not monkeys. We’re not street fighters,” Staley said. “This team exemplifies how you need to approach basketball, on and off the court. I think that sometimes gets into the game. And it hurts.”
Thursday, Iowa coach Lisa Bluder called South Carolina an “amazing offensive rebounding team”.
“Someone kind of described it to me because you’re going into a bar fight when you’re trying to bounce against 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 semifinal game of the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at the 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 people in the media, when you get together in public, you say things about our team, and you get heard,” Staley said. And it gets brought back to me. And these are the people who write nationally for our sports. So, you can’t love our team, you can’t love me. But when you say things you probably should say at home on the phone or text, in public – and you are heard – and you are the national writer of our sport, it only 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. You may not like the way we play. You may not like it. This is how we play. This is how I train. I don’t change.”
South Carolina’s amazing season has almost come to a halt Alone by Clarkwho scored Iowa’s last 13 points, finishing the competition with 41 points.
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Kate Martin of Iowa tries to shoot against Boston’s Alia Club of South Carolina during the first half of an NCAA semifinal basketball game, Friday, March 31, 2023, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
“We have nothing to lose. I have all the confidence in the world in this group, and they believe in me directly, and that’s all you need,” Clark said. “All we do is believe in each other, love each other to death, and that’s what a real team is. If you want an example of a team, that’s what it is.”
Al Hockey will face Kim Mulkey W LSU Tigers Sunday for the National Championship.