CLEVELAND — Caitlin Clark led Iowa to the national championship game by scoring 21 points as the Hawkeyes came from behind to beat Paige Bueckers and UConn 71-69 in the women’s Final Four on Friday night.
The next challenge for the Hawkeyes (34-4) is a rematch with undefeated South Carolina, which was defeated by Iowa in last year’s national semifinals. The Hawkeyes then fell short of winning the school’s first championship, losing to LSU in the title game. Now Clark is one victory away from bringing her home state its first women’s basketball title in the final game of her college career.
Following a tough first 30 minutes due to UConn's aggressive defense, Caitlin Clark, the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I, finally found her rhythm in the fourth quarter.
With the score level at 51-all, Clark scored seven points in the first 2 1/2 minutes of the period to give Iowa a slight lead. UConn (33-6) narrowed the gap to 60-57 before the Hawkeyes scored six consecutive points to take a 66-57 lead.
UConn was behind 70-66 when Nika Muhl made a 3-pointer after a steal with 39.3 seconds left to bring the Huskies within one.
Iowa’s Hannah Stuelke committed a turnover with 10 seconds remaining. UConn had the opportunity to take the lead, but Aaliyah Edwards was called for an offensive foul while setting a screen with 4.6 seconds left.
Clark made the first of two free throws before missing the second. Her teammate Sydney Affolter grabbed the rebound and UConn tied her up, resulting in a jump ball. The possession arrow favored the Hawkeyes, who secured the win by throwing the ball in the air to run out the final seconds.
Stuelke scored 23 points to lead Iowa. Clark ended with nine rebounds and seven assists.
Bueckers and Edwards each tallied 17 points for the Huskies, who returned to the Final Four after a one-year break that ended their streak of 14 consecutive seasons in the national semifinals. Geno Auriemma may have done his best coaching job. UConn had high hopes of winning the 12th title in school history at the start of the season, but these were quickly dashed by a series of injuries that sidelined nearly half of its players.
However, Bueckers, the national player of the year as a freshman in 2021 who regained her form after missing a whole season and part of another due to injuries, carried the Huskies back into contention for the title.
UConn started strongly with Bueckers and strong defense by Nika Muhl and her teammates, who consistently pressured Clark whenever she had the ball. The Huskies were ahead by 12 points in the second quarter.
Iowa was behind by six at halftime before picking up momentum in the third quarter with the help of their star player. She made her first 3-pointer of the game 2 minutes into the quarter, and then her four-point play brought Iowa within one. The Hawkeyes then took the lead later in the period just before Kate Martin was hit in the face by Edwards, resulting in a bloody nose. She quickly left the court, leaving a trail of blood behind her.
Martin returned to the Iowa bench before the court was completely cleaned. She then made three significant baskets in the final moments.
Clark had a difficult first half, only scoring six points and missing all six of her 3-point attempts. She struggled to find open shots and seemed frustrated at times. The coaches from Iowa kept encouraging their exceptional player.
Despite not scoring much, Clark contributed to the Hawkeyes' performance with six rebounds and four assists, while the team trailed 32-26 at halftime.