CLEVELAND — South Carolina and Iowa.
The program that has become the dominant force in women's college basketball in the last decade. The program with the player, Caitlin Clark, who has become a force of nature in the sport over her four-year career.
The program, it turns out, topped the player.
South Carolina captured its third national title while becoming the 10th undefeated champion thanks to an 87-75 victory over the Hawkeyes. The Gameco*cks finish the season 38-0.
Iowa wanted to replicate what it did a year ago when it beat the undefeated Gameco*cks in the Women's Final Four, only this time while also adding the program's first national title. On top of that, the Hawkeyes wanted to send Clark, the all-time scoring leader in NCAA college basketball history, out with a title.
Follow along here throughout the afternoon for updates on the championship clash in Cleveland:
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley talks about basketball
South Carolina's Raven Johnson talks about beating Iowa
South Carolina, Iowa with 2 each on all-tournament team
South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso and Tessa Johnson were two of the four players who played in Sunday's title game to make the all-tournament team. Iowa's Caitlin Clark and Hannah Stuelke also were voted to the team by selected members of the media covering the event.
Connecticut's Paige Bueckers also was chose.
South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso named Women's Final Four Most Outstanding Player
South Carolina senior center Kamilla Cardoso was voted as the Most Outstanding Player of the Women's Final Four. Cardoso scored 15 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in the championship game.
Cardoso had 22 points in the semifinal win over North Carolina State on Friday.
Caitlin Clark speaks postgame after her final game at Iowa
South Carolina: 2024 NCAA women's basketball national champion
South Carolina up a dozen with less than a minute
It will take a miracle from Iowa's Caitlin Clark to stop South Carolina at this point. The Gameco*cks lead 87-75 with 53.5 seconds remaining in the national championship game.
South Carolina under 90 seconds from third national title, first undefeated season
South Carolina took an 85-75 lead with 1:28 remaining on a free throw by Raven Johnson. Iowa, meanwhile, has gone 3:05 of game time without a score.
South Carolina starting to pull away with two minutes remaining
Kamilla Cardoso's putback with 2:27 remaining gave South Carolina an 83-75 lead. Then Cardoso came up with a big rebound on Iowa's next possession that allowed the Gameco*cks to milk the clock below the two-minute mark of the fourth quarter.
South Carolina holding on at the 4th-quarter media timeout
South Carolina's lead was at 78-72 at the fourth-quarter media timeout with 4:39 remaining. Caitlin Clark's point total has hit 30 to pace the Hawkeyes, while Tessa Johnson has come off the bench to score 19 points for the Gameco*cks.
Iowa shooting its way back into the game
Iowa fell into 76-62 hole on Chloe Kitts' put-back with 7:40 remaining. The Hawkeyes, though, scored the next eight points to pull within 76-70 with 6:43 remaining on Gabbie Marshall's 3-point basket.
Chloe Kitts adding to unsung South Carolina stars
Add the name of forward Chloe Kitts to the list of South Carolina's unsung heroes against Iowa. Kitts recorded a double-double when she turned her 10th rebound into two points — giving her 11 — and a 76-62 Gameco*cks lead with 7:40 remaining.
South Carolina takes nine-point lead into final quarter
South Carolina heads into the final 10 minutes of regulation holding onto a 68-59 lead over Iowa in the national championship game. The Gameco*cks outscored the Hawkeyes 19-13 in the third quarter.
Caitlin Clark leads all scorers with 25 points for Iowa. Tessa Johnson has scored 15 points off the bench to lead South Carolina.
Tessa Johnson starring as South Carolina's unsung hero
Tessa Johnson may not have been the South Carolina player with that surname who first came to mind coming into the national title game. However, Johnson's been huge off the bench for the Gameco*cks, including a 3-point basket with 1:06 left in the third to give them a 68-57 lead.
That basket gave Johnson 15 points in the game.
South Carolina opens up first 10-point lead
South Carolina went from down 11 in the first quarter to up 10 in the third quarter. The Gameco*cks took a 65-55 lead on Bree Hall's 3-point basket with 2:40 left in the third quarter.
South Carolina up four at third-quarter media timeout
The South Carolina lead was 57-53 at the third-quarter media timeout with 4:58 on the clock. Caitlin Clark was at 23 points for Iowa, while Te-Hina Paopao and Kamilla Cardoso each had 11 points for South Carolina.
Caitlin Clark ends Iowa scoring drought
Caitlin Clark's jumper with 7:14 remaining in the third ended the Iowa scoring drought, which stretched back to the 53-second mark of the second quarter. That pulled Iowa within 55-48.
Gabbie Marshall made it 55-51 with a 3-point basket for the Hawkeyes a minute later.
South Carolina pushes lead out to start 3rd quarter
South Carolina didn't let the halftime break slow down its roll. The Gameco*cks scored the first six points of the third quarter to open up a 55-46 lead on Iowa with 7:59 remaining in the quarter.
With the five points to end the first half, the Gameco*cks are on an 11-0 run.
Chloe Kitts scored four of those six points to give her nine points to go with seven rebounds. Te-Hina Paopao had the basket to push the lead to nine, giving her 11 points.
South Carolina ends 1st half against Iowa on go-ahead burst
South Carolina spent most of the first half trying to climb out of various deficits against Iowa. However, Te-Hina Paopao's tying 3-point basket and Raven Johnson's steal and score in the final 25 seconds pushed the Gameco*cks to a 49-46 lead at halftime.
Caitlin Clark had 21 points in the first half for Iowa, including four 3-point baskets. Kate Martin added 11 points for the Hawkeyes.
Kamilla Cardoso was the Gameco*cks' leading scoring with 11 points. South Carolina had a 22-0 advantage in points off the bench.
Caitlin Clark hits her 200th 3-point basket of season
Caitlin Clark's fourth 3-point basket, which gave Iowa a 44-40 lead with 1:54 remaining in the second quarter, was her 200th 3-point basket of the season. That shot has opened up a 38-shot margin between her and the previous co-record holder in NCAA Division I college basketball, men's or women's: Steph Curry, who had 162.
Clark has already matched her point total from Friday's semifinal, with 21 points with less than a minute left in the half.
Hannah Stuelke gives the lead right back to Iowa
Iowa has been able to answer South Carolina every time it seems to tie or, in this case, take the lead. This time, it was Hawkeye sophom*ore Hannah Stuelke's 3-point play wrapped around the 4:12 media timeout in the second quarter, putting Iowa back in front 37-36.
Stuelke would do it again after Chloe Kitts tied the game at 37-37 with a free throw on South Carolina's next possession. She would get fouled on the rebound of the missed second free throw and hit two free throws of her own to put Iowa up 39-37 with 3:51 remaining in the second quarter.
Kamilla Cardoso gives South Carolina its first lead
South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso gave her team its first lead of the game with a layup with 4:56 remaining. That put the Gameco*cks in front 36-34.
The basket gave Cardoso, the 6-foot-7 All-American, 11 points for the game.
Tessa Johnson heating up for South Carolina
Tessa Johnson has been central to South Carolina now twice tying the game in the second quarter. Johnson's 3-point basket with 6:01 left in the quarter tied the game at 34-34.
Johnson had four points in the Gameco*cks' opening 7-0 run to tie it at 27-27. She has seven points in the quarter and nine for the game.
Sydney Affolter gives Iowa the lead right back
South Carolina and Iowa were tied for all of 21 seconds. That's how long it took the Hawkeyes to re-take the lead at 30-27 on Sydney Affolter's 3-point basket.
South Carolina ties the game to open 2nd quarter
Iowa was the fast starter in the first quarter. South Carolina responded to open the second.
Kamilla Cardoso's 3-point play with 8:21 left in the quarter tied the game at 27-27. It was part of a 7-0 Gameco*ck run to start the quarter.
End 1st quarter: Iowa answers South Carolina's push
Iowa took a 27-20 lead into the second quarter, ending the quarter on 5-0 burst. Caitlin Clark hit a 3-point basket with 20 seconds remaining to provide the margin.
Clark has three 3-point baskets on her way to 18 points already. She scored just 21 points in the semifinal win over Connecticut.
South Carolina making its push after slow start
After falling behind by the largest deficit its faced all season to open the game, South Carolina began to push back. The Gameco*cks put together an 11-2 run to pull within 22-20 with 1:22 remaining in the first quarter on Tessa Johnson's basket.
'Ted Lasso' makes an appearance on the scoreboard
Actor Jason Sudeikis has been a regular at the Iowa women's basketball team's tournament games. The star of "Ted Lasso" was shown on the scoreboard during the first-quarter media timeout.
South Carolina ice cold from the floor, facing largest deficit of season
South Carolina trailed Iowa 20-9 at the media timeout with 4:45 remaining in the first quarter. Part of that was Iowa hitting five of its last seven shots from the floor, but also the Gameco*cks' own inability to make shots.
The No. 1 team in the country has missed 10 of its first 14 shots, a 29% shooting percentage. That's how South Carolina fallen into the biggest deficit of the season at 11 points.
Caitlin Clark drawing multiple fouls behind the 3-point line
South Carolina's aggressiveness defending Iowa's Caitlin Clark has cost them a pair of fouls on 3-point shots. Clark has twice earned three free throws because she was fouled shooting from the perimeter.
Clark has gone 5-of-6 from the foul line on those two trips, the latter of those opening up a 20-9 Hawkeye lead with 5:34 remaining in the first quarter.
Caitlin Clark's 3 from the logo opens up 11-point Iowa lead
Caitlin Clark's second 3-point basket of the game gave Iowa an 18-7 lead with 6:20 remaining in the first quarter. While her first was a foot or so from 3-point line, this one was from the Women's Final Four logo at midcourt.
Iowa Hawkeyes take the fight to South Carolina early with 10-0 start
The Iowa Hawkeyes came flying out of the gate early, jumping out to a 10-0 lead with 7:27 remaining in the first quarter. Caitlin Clark capped the run with a 3-point basket, but that was her only basket of the burst.
Kate Martin had the first five points on a 3-pointer and a jumper. Sydney Affolter added a basket as well.
Iowa's Kate Martin's 3-point basket opens the scoring
The first basket of the game was a 3-point basket by Iowa. Las Vegas would've probably have given you good odds on that.
Only it wasn't Caitlin Clark hitting it. It was Kate Martin, who drained the 3-pointer 24 seconds into the game for a 3-0 Hawkeye lead.
National anthem and lineups done before national championship game
Iowa Hawkeyes fans have taken over Cleveland
South Carolina may be No. 1 in the country, but Iowa is No. 1 in terms of percentage of fans inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. At least 60% of the crowd for this championship game is wearing black and gold.
It's apparent that both North Carolina State and Connecticut fans sold their tickets to Iowa supporters after Friday's semifinals. Both of their sections have been taken over by the Hawkeyes.
Rocket Mortgage Field House an hour before tipoff
South Carolina women's basketball starting lineup for national championship game
Here's the starting lineup for South Carolina against Iowa:
- No. 0 Te-Hina Paopao, 5-9, Sr., guard, 10.9 ppg, 3.6 apg
- No. 23 Bree Hall, 6-0, Jr., guard, 9.3 ppg, 1.5 apg
- No. 25 Raven Johnson, 5-9, So., guard, 8.2 ppg, 4.9 apg
- No. 21 Chloe Kitts, 6-2, So., forward, 9.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg
- No. 10 Kamillia Cardoso, 6-7, Sr., center, 14.3 ppg, 9.5 rpg
Iowa women's basketball starting lineup for national championship game
Here's the starting lineup for Iowa against South Carolina:
- No. 3 Sydney Affolter, 5-11, Jr., guard, 4.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg
- No. 20 Kate Martin, 6-0, Sr. (grad), guard, 7.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg
- No. 22 Caitlin Clark, 6-0, Sr., guard, 28.5 ppg, 8.3 apg, 7.1 rpg
- No. 24 Gabbie Marshall, 5-9, Sr., guard, 6.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg
- No. 45 Hannah Stuelke, 6-2, Soph. forward, 9.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg
South Carolina Gameco*cks NCAA women's basketball tournament history
- Appearances: 20
- Record: 44-17
- Women's Final Four appearances: six (2015, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
- National championship game appearances: three (2017, 2022, 2024)
- National championships: two (2017, 2022)
Iowa Hawkeyes NCAA women's basketball tournament history
- Appearances: 30
- Record: 36-29
- Women's Final Four appearances: three (1992, 2023, 2024)
- National championship game appearances: two (2023, 2024)
- National championships: none
How to watch women's national championship game
ABC will broadcast Sunday'snational championship game.In Northeast Ohio, that will be on WEWS-TV Channel 5.
South Carolina vs. Iowa betting odds
- Provided byBetMGM; accessUSA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hubfor a full list. Lines last updated at noon ET, Saturday.
- Moneyline (ML):South Carolina -275 (bet $275 to win $100) | Iowa +225 (bet $100 to win $225)
- Against the spread:South Carolina -6.5 (-110) | Iowa +6.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U):159.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Who won the 2023 women’s basketball national championship?
Last year's NCAA Tournament featured themost-watched Final Four in the sport's historywhen Iowa handed South Carolina a rare loss and thenlost a nail-biter to LSU in the championship.
Women’s March Madness NCAA Tournament schedule
Here is thewomen's schedule:
- First round:March 22-23
- Second round:March 24-25
- Sweet 16:March 29-30
- Elite Eight:March 31-April 1
- Final Four:Friday, April 5 at 7:30 and 9 p.m. ET on ESPN
- NCAA championship game:Sunday, April 7 at 3 p.m. ET on ABC
NCAA women's March Madness bracket
You can find the completewomen's March Madness bracket here.
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him onXat @ceasterlingABJ.
