CLEVELAND — The last time Iowa and UConn met on the big stage was in 2021. It was the year the NCAA tournament was in a bubble in San Antonio, Texas, and the two teams matched up in the Sweet 16.
Paige Bueckers, a freshman at the time, was the name everyone knew. She had won every major player of the year award. Caitlin Clark was a key player for the Hawkeyes, but she hadn’t quite risen to the level of fame she’s known for now.
Fast-forward three years, and the two women’s basketball superstars went head-to-head once again on Friday in the Final Four. This time, it was Iowa that came out on top, defeating the Huskies 71-69 despite trailing for almost the entire first half.
“First half was a little rough for us,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. “We really kept believing, and I'm just so proud of the character of these young women to maintain their composure through some pretty tough times in the first half. ... We're really thrilled to be playing in the championship game for the second year in a row.”
It looked a lot different than the last time, too: There was a packed crowd, close to a sellout, with tickets harder to come by than the men’s NCAA tournament.
Many tried to make the game a one-on-one between Clark and Bueckers — the topic was all over various news outlets leading up to the game, and even the fans had some fun with it in the arena. One girl flashed a sign that said, “Caitlin Who? It’s Paige’s Time to Shine.”
It still was the Clark show, however, especially in the second half. The AP Player of the Year scored 15 points in the second half after finishing the first two quarters with just six points. She continued to flaunt her 3-point skills, too, connecting on multiple step-back shots after halftime, one of which was a four-point play after finally shaking off UConn’s Nika Muhl.
But the game turned out to be a lot more than just Clark and Bueckers in the end. Sure, the two leading scorers had fantastic games — Clark finished with 21 points and Bueckers had 17 — but the contest itself was a highlight of the growth of women’s basketball. Clark and Bueckers just happened to be the big names.
“The women's game is benefitting, and is going to continue to benefit, from the fact that players are around long enough to create a name, create a buzz,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “People weren't even mentioning Caitlin Clark when Paige was a freshman. It was all Paige, Paige, Paige.
“Now it's all Caitlin, Caitlin, Caitlin. Had she left after her freshman year, like it would have been if she was a guy, or if Paige left, they would have had to find somebody else. And if that person wasn't there, then you wouldn't have had the ability to do all this that's happened.”
What made it even more special was that it wasn’t just Bueckers or Clark who were the stars on the court. Iowa’s Hannah Stuelke and UConn’s Aaliyah Edwards and KK Arnold also shined for their teams. Stuelke finished with 23 points, while the UConn duo scored 17 and 14, respectively.
Clark laughed when someone brought up the Clark-versus-Bueckers storyline. She was quick to point out that Iowa doesn’t win the game without everyone who played. Kate Martin was also key down the stretch, scoring six of her 11 points in the final 6:25. Sydney Affolter had six offensive rebounds to give the Hawkeyes extra opportunities. Gabbie Marshall drew an offensive foul against Edwards late in the game to seal the win.
“Going to the national championship game, everybody's stepping up,” Clark said. “It's not just me. It's not just one player. That's not what this is. We wouldn't be at this point right now if it was just one player. And everybody comes up and makes really big plays when we need them. I think it's the small things.”
Budler said the Hawkeyes prepared differently this year so as not to get lost in the glitz and glamor of the Final Four. Last year, a majority of the team attended Clark’s many awards and media obligations, in addition to its regular responsibilities. It made sense. It was the first time in 30 years Iowa had made the Final Four.
This time, the team scaled back the other players’ attendance in hopes that it’d keep them more level-headed. But Iowa still seemed shaken up throughout the first two quarters.
UConn led most of the first half. Bueckers made a 3-pointer with 5:18 to go in the second quarter to give UConn its first double-digit lead, and the Hawkeyes struggled with ball control, finishing with 12 turnovers by halftime.
“UConn is a really good defensive team, one of the best defensive teams we've seen all year,” Clark said. “I think Nika [Muhl] did a tremendous job guarding me. …The best thing about our group is we went into the locker room at halftime, and it wasn't, like, ‘Oh, come on, you've got to make shots.’ It was, ‘No, stop turning the ball over, and you're going to be perfectly fine.’”
Iowa shook off the dust after the break, however, and Clark finally made a 3-pointer about two minutes into the third quarter. She put her team into position to take the lead multiple times, but it was Stuelke who actually took the lead in the fourth quarter.
“I think the confidence is everything. Especially hearing Caitlin Clark talk [highly of me],” Stuelke said. “It gives me a confidence boost. I think anyone would say that. But they just fed me the ball very well. And the ball was going in for me tonight.”
With the season on the line, UConn’s Arnold fought through a trio of Iowa players to make a layup to whittle down what was as large as a 9-point lead to just four points with 2:38 remaining. Muhl got a key steal with 49 seconds to go and found herself open for a 3-point lead to make it 70-69.
If things weren’t chaotic enough, there were two turnovers in the final nine seconds. Clark dribbled around until there were eight seconds left on the shot clock before passing to Stuelke. The Iowa forward turned the ball over, giving it to UConn with 10.8 seconds to go.
The Huskies then took the ball, and while trying to guard Marshall, Edwards got called on what some are now saying was a “controversial” offensive foul. The ball went to Iowa, and Clark soon after made a free throw to put Iowa up by two points. Affolter got the offensive rebound off Clark’s miss on the second attempt, and the Hawkeyes held on for the win.
“I don't think I was ever worried about the game,” Stuelke said. “We had the chance to get a defensive stop, and that's what we did. Gabbie's great in those situations. She always comes up with big plays, whether it's a block or whatever.”
Now all eyes turn to Sunday when Iowa (34-4) faces off against undefeated South Carolina (37-0) at 3 p.m. in the national championship. It’s a rematch from last year’s semifinal game, where the Hawkeyes handed the Gamecocks their first loss of the season to advance to the final round.
“It feels like every time we're going into a game in this NCAA tournament it's like everybody wanted to see this, just one after the next,” Clark said. “It's good for women's basketball. Being in this moment before, I think gives our group a good understanding of what to expect. We know what South Carolina brings to the table. We know we're going to have our hands full. The way that they played tonight was incredible. But it's the national championship. It's the last game of my career. It's the last game for five people on this team. So I don't think motivation will be hard to come by.”
Abby Schnable: aschnable@post-gazette.com and @AbbySchnable on X
First Published: April 6, 2024, 3:47 a.m.
Updated: April 6, 2024, 4:56 a.m.
