Iowa vs. UConn highlights: Caitlin Clark, Hawkeyes fight off Huskies

CLEVELAND – Caitlin Clark’s career at Iowa is going to end in the national championship game.

Clark and the Hawkeyes advanced to the title game for a second consecutive season, beating UConn 71-69 in the Final Four on Friday night. They’ll play South Carolina, who defeated NC State earlier in the night.

Clark and Iowa lost to LSU in the national championship game last year, and college basketball’s all-time leading scorer has talked often this season of the job not being done and wanting more. Well, now she’s going to get the chance to end her illustrious career in perfect fashion.

Clark has already said she’s foregoing her fifth COVID year and is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft. She doesn’t need a title to cement her legacy, but it sure would be a perfect sendoff.

Iowa’s win ends a remarkable run by UConn, which reached the Final Four despite having just eight available players after a rash of injuries.

Reactions to offensive foul call on Aaliyah Edwards in final seconds

When Aaliyah Edwards was called for an offensive foul in the final seconds of the game, UConn coach Geno Auriemma looked as if he’d been punched in the gut.

ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt and Andraya Carter didn’t agree with the ref’s call either.

“I hated the call. You’ve got to give Gabbie Marshall credit for trying to fight over the screen. That’s what drew the refs’ attention in,” Carter said on the postgame show.

‼️YOU MAKE THE CALL! ‼️

Was this an offensive foul on Aaliyah Edwards? 🤔🤔 pic.twitter.com/rZcsIK758I

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) April 6, 2024

“But to me, now that final play, it’s not about Iowa’s defense. It’s about the call the referee made. There was a slight lean, maybe Aaliyah Edwards’ elbow was slightly out. But to be honest, the calls were even for both sides. There were missed calls for Iowa. There was missed contact for UConn. To make that call at the very end of the game – to me, it took away the opportunity for players to make plays. … To be honest, that call sucked.”

Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said she didn’t see the offensive foul. “Caitlin Clark really didn’t have freedom of movement. But you know at this point, they’re not going to call a lot. Especially after last year, when Caitlin and Angel were on the bench. I just think you’re not going to see a lot of calls.”

Later, Edwards said she thought the play was “clean.” Teammate Paige Bueckers then weighed in: “Everybody can make a big deal out of one single play, but one single play doesn’t win or lose a basketball game. … You can look at one play and say, oh that killed us or that hurt us. We should have done a better job, I should have done a better job making sure I didn’t leave the game up to that.”

Nominating this GIF for Best Short Film at the next Oscars. Geno’s reaction in the foreground + Gabbie Marshall in the background = Cinema pic.twitter.com/kf30903io2

— Ella Brockway (@ellabrockway) April 6, 2024

Opinion: Hannah Stuelke, not Caitlin Clark, lifts Iowa to title game

CLEVELAND — Caitlin Clark tried to tell you. All year, she told you exactly what to watch for with Iowa.

No, not her.

Hannah Stuelke.

Clark suggested earlier this year that the soft-spoken sophomore might break all her records one day and, after a night like this, it’s easy to believe it. Clark and Iowa are in the national championship game for a second consecutive year, and it’s Stuelke who got them there.

She scored a team-high 23 on 9-of-12 shooting, and carried Iowa until Clark and the rest of the Hawkeyes found their groove late in the game. She got her fingers on the ball after Clark missed a second free throw, tipping it to Sydney Affolter and giving Iowa possession with three seconds left. Read Nancy Armour’s entire column here.

Clark, who had 21 points but was held in check for much of the night, praised her teammates after Iowa’s 71-69 victory over UConn in a semifinal game at the Final Four.

“Our offense wasn’t great tonight but we played great defense,’’ Clark told ESPN’s Holly Rowe. “And sometimes that’s what you need to win, so I’m just proud of our girls to find a way to win.’’

Clark, asked how she avoided getting frustrated while being shadowed by UConn’s Nika Muhl, replied, “I thought my teammates stepped up and did a really good job. Made some big baskets when we needed it, so I couldn’t be more proud of them. It takes all five of us.”

Iowa survives UConn, 71-69

Caitlin Clark and Iowa outlasted UConn 71-69 Friday in a semifinal matchup at the Final Four, advancing to the national championship. The Hawkeyes will play undefeated South Carolina (37-0) for the national championship Sunday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

Despite a slow start, Clark finished with 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Hannah Stuelke led Iowa in scoring with 23 points.

UConn had a chance to take the lead in the final seconds, but the Huskies’ Aaliyah Edwards was called for an offensive foul in the frontcourt. Edwards and Paige Bueckers had 17 points apiece for UConn.

Clark had only six points in the first half after shooting 3-for-11 from the floor and missing all six of her 3-point attempts. It was the first time Clark failed to make a 3-pointer in an NCAA Tournament game during her four-year career, according to the ESPN telecast.

Clark was stymied by UConn’s Nika Muhl, a two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year. But Clark bounced back in the second half.