OAN’s James Meyers
1:11 PM -Monday, April 8, 2024
South Carolina knocked off Iowa 87-75 in the women’s NCAA basketball championship game on Sunday.
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With the win, the school secured their third women’s NCAA championship as Gamecocks’ Tessa Johnson scored 19 points and teammate Kamilla Cardoso scored 15 points, giving the team the perfect season of 38-0.
South Carolina’s win stopped Iowa and arguably the greatest women’s college basketball player of all-time, Caitlin Clark.
The Gamecocks became the 10th team ever to go undefeated after losing all five starters from last year’s team, which lost to Clark’s team in the final four.
“When young people lock in and have a belief, and have a trust, and their parents have that same trust, this is what can happen,” South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said. “They made history. They etched their names in the history books.”
Clark carried the Hawkeyes to the national championship game, scoring 30 points, including a championship game record 18 points in the first quarter. The projected number one overall pick in the WNBA draft finished her career as the leading scorer in NCAA Division I history with 3,951 points.
Additionally, after accepting the trophy with her team, Staley praised Clark and Iowa for an incredible season and changing the sport.
“I want to personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport,” Staley said. “She carried a heavy load for our sport. And it’s just — it’s not going to stop here on the collegiate tour, but when she is the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, she’s going to lift that league up as well.”
“So, Caitlin Clark, if you’re out there: You are one of the GOATs of our game, and we appreciate you,” Staley said, using the acronym for “greatest of all time.”
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