South Carolina Wins NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship, Completing Undefeated Season

South Carolina’s women’s basketball team missed out on a perfect season and NCAA championship last year after losing to Iowa and superstar Caitlin Clark in a Final Four semifinal. This year, the Gamecocks made it the championship game again with an undefeated record, and faced Iowa and Clark again. This time it was South Carolina that prevailed.

Kamilla Cardoso scored 15 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as South Carolina beat Iowa 87-75 on April 7th. The 6’7” center also had three blocked shots. Chloe Kitts also had a double double, scoring 11 with 10 rebounds. Tessa Johnson led the Gamecocks with 19 points. Johnson came off the bench, and South Carolina’s depth was evident in that bench players scored a total of 37 points. Coach Dawn Staley won her third NCAA title as coach, and second in three years.

Clark got off to a sizzling hot start, scoring 18 points in the first quarter, but the South Carolina defense held her to 12 points the rest of the way. She finished with 30 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, leading the team in all three categories. Coach Lisa Bluder did not use her bench much; the Hawkeyes non starters contributed three rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots, and no points.

Clark is expected to be the top draft pick by the Indiana Fever in the WNBA draft on April 15th. If you’re looking forward to seeing her professional debut, the Fever open the regular WNBA season at the Washington Mystics on September 19th.