Clark, Iowa end perfect South Carolina season in Final Four

Posted March 31, 2023 1:00 am

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer

DALLAS - Caitlin Clark had another sensational game with 41 points to help Iowa spoil South Carolina's perfect season with a 77-73 victory on Friday night in the Final Four.

The spectacular junior guard, who has back-to-back 40-point games, now has the Hawkeyes in a spot they've never been in before - one victory away from a national championship.

They'll have to beat another SEC team to do that as Iowa (31-6) will face LSU in the title game on Sunday afternoon. The Tigers beat Virginia Tech in the other national semifinal.

It's the Tigers' first appearance in the title game as Kim Mulkey became the second coach to take two different teams to the championship game.

Thanks to the spectacular play of Clark and the historic year by South Carolina, this was one of the most talked about and highly anticipated matchups in women's Final Four history,

The game lived up to the hype surrounding it, much to the delight of the sellout crowd of over 19,000 fans.

Coach Dawn Staley and South Carolina (36-1) had won 42 in a row, including last year's championship game.

More AP coverage of March Madness: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://twitter.com/APTop25

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