Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes are headed to the NCAA national championship
Caitlin Clark's March Madness continues. Clark led her Iowa Hawkeyes to victory on April 5 in the Final Four.
Iowa defeated and eliminated UConn, 71-69.
The final moments of the game were a nail-biter, with Iowa ahead by just one point. After Clark ran down the clock to just over 10 seconds, UConn recovered the ball and called a timeout.
With mere seconds left in the game, refs called an offensive foul on UConn, giving the ball back to Iowa.
UConn's standout, Paige Bueckers then fouled Clark — an 86% free throw shooter — giving her two free throws. She made the first and then missed the second, and Iowa got the rebound. Clark then bounced the ball off Bueckers, which wasted a few seconds, and following another timeout from Iowa, hung on for a win.
"Our offense did great tonight. We played great defense and sometimes that is what you need to do to win," Clark said in a post-game interview on ESPN. "I thought my teammates really stepped up and did a good job, made some big baskets when we really needed them."
She added they're looking forward to the championship game against South Carolina on Sunday, April 7.
"They're so skilled, they played a great game today," Clark said. "At this point, anybody can take it and you gotta go prep, you've got one day to take care of yourself, so we'll be ready."
Clark's games have been a must-watch this season, as the basketball star has already announced that this will be her last year playing college hoops. In February, Clark announced her intention to join the WNBA draft one year ahead of schedule.
Clark's season has been shattering records. She set a record during the second game of March Madness with her season point tally adding up to 1,113, surpassing the previous single-season NCAA Division I record of 1,109 set by Kelsey Plum in the 2016-2017 season for the Washington Huskies. (Plum was spotted in the audience at the 2024 Final Four, and ESPN's cameras captured her jokingly eating popcorn as she watched the UConn/Iowa showdown.)
The senior guard’s groundbreaking collegiate basketball career includes becoming the all-time leading scorer in Division I college basketball history and declaring for the WNBA draft in February. Clark was named the Big Ten player of the year for the third consecutive season earlier this month.
She entered March Madness on fire. She averaged about 32 points during the season and shot 38% from three-point land, where she often dominates.
Clark is leading her team through the tournament in hopes of returning to the championship game. Iowa competed in the title game in 2023 but lost to LSU, 102-85.
Read on for more on Iowa's journey in the postseason.
When is Caitlin Clark and Iowa's next game in the NCAA Tournament?
Clark and the Hawkeyes return to play on Sunday, April 7, at 3 p.m. ET against the University of South Carolina Gamecocks, according to the NCAA website.
The two teams will face off in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Iowa took home its first March Madness win Saturday, March 23, over Holy Cross, with Clark scoring 27 points and nabbing eight rebounds. The final score was 91-65.
Iowa's second tournament victory was Monday, March 25, over the West Virginia Mountaineers. The final score was 64-54.
The Hawkeyes then played against No. 5 seed Colorado on March 30 in the Sweet 16, defeating the Buffaloes 89-68, with Clark scoring 29 points.
In the Elite Eight portion of March Madness, the Hawkeyes defeated LSU 94-87, with Clark scoring 41 points.
In the Final Four, the Hawkeyes defeated UConn, 71-69, with Clark scoring 21 points.
How to watch Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the NCAA women's tournament championship
The NCAA women's tournament has been airing on ABC or ESPN networks, depending on the game.
The championship game will air on ABC, which also offers its own app but requires a cable login to view.
ABC can be accessed on streaming platforms such as Fubo and Sling TV, which offer one-time free trials. You can also log into a cable provider's app to watch there.
For those who want to keep things low-tech, you can purchase a digital TV antenna. Plug the device into your smart TV with an HDMI cord. From there, the antenna will likely be able to pick up local channels, including ABC.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
