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Two No. 1 seeds, undefeated South Carolina and Iowa, will battle for the national championship after advancing in the Final Four on Friday.
South Carolina proved why it hasn’t lost this season after a dominant victory over No. 3 NC State, while Iowa battled a formidable No. 3 UConn squad in a game decided by a controversial call late.
Here are some takeaways from Friday’s Final Four action.
South Carolina continues to prove it has no weaknesses
No. 3 NC State hung tough while it could against No. 1 South Carolina, but eventually, the undefeated juggernaut took over.
Leading the Wolfpack by one, 32-31, at halftime, the Gamecocks ran away with the game in the second half, securing a spot in the NCAA championship with an overwhelming 19-point victory, 78-59.
South Carolina showed it can dominate every facet of the game. It out-rebounded NC State (46-32), outscored it in the paint (44-20) and overpowered the Wolfpack in fast-break points (21-6), all while shooting 42% from beyond the arc (8-of-9).
Third-quarter collapse will haunt NC State
The third quarter of Friday’s Final Four will inevitably stand out when NC State reflects on what could have been.
Trailing by only one at the half, the Wolfpack quickly saw any chance of an upset of South Carolina evaporate early in the second half.
They were outscored by the Gamecocks 29-6 in the third quarter alone, falling apart on both ends of the floor. NC State shot just 9.1% from the field (1-of-11) and went scoreless over six-and-a-half minutes, all but deciding the outcome with a quarter to go.
Iowa and Caitlin Clark showed poise in the face of adversity against UConn
Iowa and star Caitlin Clark didn’t play their best first half of basketball on Friday. However, instead of panicking, they stayed the course, rebounding in the second half to punch their ticket to the NCAA championship with a 71-69 win.
Under immense pressure from the UConn defense, Clark was just 3-of-11 from the field with no three-pointers (0-of-6) in the first half, and Iowa trailed at halftime, 32-26.
The second half was another story, as Clark and forward Hannah Stuelke picked up the Hawkeyes. Clark rebounded, finishing with 21 points (7-of-8), three three-pointers (3-of-11), nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals, while Stuelke recorded a team-high 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field.
UConn can’t blame late offensive foul call for Final Four loss
Regardless of the arguments made, many will remember the Huskies’ run to the Final Four for a controversial offensive foul called on forward Aaliyah Edwards with four seconds to go and Iowa leading by a point, 70-69.
While it took away an opportunity at a last shot for UConn, it wasn’t the ultimate decider of the game.
Despite uncharacteristically poor play from Clark and a lead of as many as 12 points in the first half, UConn held only a six-point advantage at the break. Meanwhile, in the second half, the Huskies’ offensive rhythm fell apart, and star Paige Bueckers all but disappeared down the stretch.
From there, Iowa turned it on, ultimately earning a return trip to the NCAA title game.
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