The unbeaten South Carolina Gamecocks defeated Iowa on Sunday, 87-75, in the NCAA women's championship. The Gamecocks' win ended Caitlin Clark's final game at Iowa. In February, Clark became the all-time NCAA Division I scoring leader, smashing the late Pete Maravich's 54-year-old record. Clark scored 30 points on Sunday. South Carolina was 37-0 going into Sunday's game, becoming the first undefeated champion since UConn in 2016.
Sunday marked their second national championship in three years and third in school history, according to CBS Sports. With Dawn Staley directing a relentless attack from the sideline, the Gamecocks became the 10th Division I team to go through a season without a loss. And they accomplished the feat after they lost all five starters from last season's team that lost to Clark's squad in the national semifinals. 'Just really want to say congratulations to Iowa and Caitlin for making it back to the national championship game,' Staley said during the post-game news conference. 'Obviously, they are a formidable opponent that took everything that we had to win the basketball game, but I just don't want to not utilize this opportunity to thank Caitlin for what she's done for women's basketball.' 'Anytime someone like Coach Staley is able to recognize you and what you did for the game is pretty special,' Clark said at the news conference. 'And obviously she's someone I, you know, respect so much. I respect what she's done for South Carolina