CLEVELAND — In Friday night time’s epic showdown between Iowa and UConn, that includes large performances from either side, an unlawful display name determined the sport.
With three seconds to go, officers whistled UConn’s Aaliyah Edwards for a screening foul as she tried to pry teammate Paige Bueckers open for a game-winning shot. As an alternative, Iowa took possession holding a one-point lead and salted away a 71-69 victory.
The Hawkeyes and star level guard Caitlin Clark, who completed with 21 factors, will face undefeated South Carolina for the nationwide championship. The Gamecocks took care of NC State 78-59 earlier Friday to maneuver to 37-0.
ESPN’s Katie Barnes, Charlie Creme and Jake Trotter break down how every girls’s Ultimate 4 recreation was received and stay up for Sunday’s championship matchup (3 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN App).
How Iowa beat UConn 71-69
Iowa outlasts UConn, advances to NCAA Girls’s ultimate
Caitlin Clark and Iowa cling on to beat UConn and advance to face South Carolina within the NCAA Girls’s ultimate.
What was key in Iowa’s win?
Perseverance. UConn had an amazing recreation plan and made Clark’s life depressing for 40 minutes. However Iowa stored discovering methods to attain outdoors its typical technique. The Hawkeyes did not panic, did not get flustered. Clark stated all season that she trusts her teammates and that’s what she did tonight, particularly Hannah Stuelke. Dealing with double-teams, aggressive face-guarding and strategic assist aspect protection by the Huskies, Clark appeared for Stuelke and the sophomore delivered with the perfect recreation of her profession, sans her 47-point effort earlier this season towards Penn State. Her 23 factors got here with an environment friendly 9-of-12 capturing. Nika Mühl harassed Clark into matching her lowest level complete of the season and Iowa nonetheless discovered a means. — Creme
What shocked you essentially the most about this recreation?
How Mühl was capable of maintain Clark in verify for a lot of the sport. Clark lastly obtained going within the third quarter with a four-point play, and she or he nonetheless had seven assists. However earlier than that, Mühl utterly hounded Clark, denied her the ball and sometimes picked her up full court docket. Because of this, Clark went 0-of-6 from 3 within the first half whereas struggling to seek out house to create. Clark was all the time going to get her factors, however Mühl made her work for them. — Trotter
Who was essentially the most excellent participant?
The Huskies had to surrender one thing with the best way they guarded Clark on the perimeter with Muhl and offered assist in the lane from Edwards and Brady. That one thing was Stuelke, and she or he delivered with these 23 factors, the primary time somebody apart from Clark led the Hawkeyes since Stuelke’s 47-point recreation towards Penn State on Feb. 8. Kate Martin, Gabbie Marshall and Sydney Affolter had hassle ending within the first half with Iowa capturing simply 50% on its layups earlier than halftime. In distinction, Stuelke performed a peaceful second half, scoring 15 of her 23 factors within the ultimate 20 minutes when Iowa outscored UConn by eight. It is not usually that any Hawkeye might be the participant of the sport apart from Clark, however on this night time, Stuelke was clearly that participant. — Creme
Controversial late offensive foul helps Iowa put away UConn
After forcing a turnover, Aaliyah Edwards is known as for a controversial offensive foul to provide Iowa the ball again.
What would be the legacy of UConn?
This is perhaps the primary time since 1991 that UConn making a run to the Ultimate 4 might have been thought of any form of shock. The Huskies have been a 3-seed, their lowest seeding since 2005. However even on this period of parity, UConn proved why it will probably by no means actually be counted out, even whereas having a depleted bench due to harm for the third straight season. Edwards and Muhl will transfer on however Bueckers will return subsequent season, which suggests the Huskies will probably be a power. — Barnes
How South Carolina beat NC State 78-59
South Carolina advances to championship recreation for third time in 7 years
South Carolina dominates the second half to advance to their third girls’s ultimate.
What was key in South Carolina’s win?
Two phrases: Kamilla Cardoso. South Carolina has been balanced all yr, however Friday night time the Gamecocks rode Cardoso to the championship recreation. Cardoso led all scorers with 22 factors and chipped in 11 boards. It marked simply the fifth time she has scored 20 factors whereas at South Carolina. Along with the person scoring effort from Cardoso, the Gamecocks exploded for a 29-6 run over the third quarter to place NC State away. — Barnes
What shocked you essentially the most about this recreation?
The victory margin was considerably stunning, however the largest takeaway was simply how medical South Carolina was within the third quarter. It was a lesson in shot choice (60% capturing), defensive execution (NC State made one discipline objective and had 4 turnovers) and rebounding (15-5 benefit). Giving up second-half leads has been the most important problem for the Gamecocks late within the season. Tennessee, Indiana and Oregon State all made runs to make video games tense late. The Gamecocks’ third quarter was so good, so dominant that there was no means NC State might come again. The thought across the Gamecocks has been that in the event that they play their A-game, they will not lose. That 10 minutes was South Carolina’s A-plus recreation. — Creme
Warmth verify! Kamilla Cardoso knocks down 3 consecutive buckets
Kamilla Cardoso is on fireplace as she knocks down three consecutive buckets to pad the Gamecocks’ lead.
Who was essentially the most excellent participant?
Twice, Cardoso needed to depart the ground for the locker room. However when she was on the court docket, South Carolina’s All-American middle dominated. Within the first quarter, Cardoso needed to exit due to a problem along with her left eye. She returned from the locker room for the second quarter to attain 12 straight factors, because the Gamecocks asserted management following a shaky first quarter. With 1:39 left within the first half, Cardoso needed to be subbed out once more after injuring her proper leg contesting a shot on the rim. Regardless of limping off to the locker room, she began the third quarter. Cardoso’s back-to-back layups early within the half helped ignite a 29-6 South Carolina run that put the sport away. — Trotter
South Carolina goes up 24 factors on back-to-back triples
Te-Hina Paopao and Bree Corridor knock down back-to-back triples to provide the Gamecocks a 24-point result in finish the third quarter.
What would be the legacy of NC State?
This was the primary Ultimate 4 look for NC State since 1998. The Wolfpack have been simply the seventh group to make a Ultimate 4 after being unranked within the AP preseason ballot and the primary since Washington in 2016. Although the end result did not go NC State’s means, the Wolfpack obtained over the hump to the ladies’s basketball ultimate weekend after shedding within the Elite Eight and in first spherical within the prior two years. — Barnes