South Carolina defeats Iowa 87-75 to win national championship and complete perfect season (2024)

With undefeated South Carolina jolted onto an unfamiliar backfoot, coach Dawn Staley looked toward her bench to remedy an early 11-point deficit to Iowa — more specifically, she looked toward Tessa Johnson.

The freshman guard outshone her six-point scoring average all tournament long and was a revelation in relief for the Gameco*cks. With a team-high 19 points and three triples, Johnson led South Carolina to a slim halftime lead and a dominant third quarter, helping the Gameco*cks claim their second national title in three years, 87-75, and cap off a perfect season.

The role players were rolling from the opening tip, as Kate Martin and Sydney Affolter gave Iowa a quick 7-0 lead, but Caitlin Clark scored 13 in a row from all over the court. The newly crowned AP Player of the Year drained a pair of 3s, was fouled on two more attempts and converted at the rim to give her Hawkeyes a 20-9 lead by the first media timeout. Clark finished with 30 points (10 of 28shooting), eight rebounds and five assists in her last college game.

Iowa's centers Hannah Stuelke and Addison O'Grady admirably limited star Gameco*ck post Cardoso to just 2 of 6 shooting in the first quarter, but the Brazilian behemoth partnered with Johnson and inevitably found her opening. Johnson — who led the Gameco*cks' 36-0 bench scoring advantage — took up the mantle for South Carolina and its top-ranked defense. The freshman guard poked away a pair of steals, turning each into transition baskets, before Cardoso finished through contact to tie the game at 27.

That top-ranked defense also took exception to Clark's early mastery, and a savvy defensive play from Raven Johnson dispossessed Clark and gave the Gameco*cks an easy two points before halftime.

South Carolina bottled up this late-half momentum for a roaring start out of the locker room. Chloe Kitts ensured her spot on the floor with two straight baskets out of the intermission, and Te-Hina Paopao nailed a pull-up jumper to give her Gameco*cks a 55-46 lead and force Iowa coach Lisa Bluder to burn a quick timeout.

Cardoso also hauled a career-high 17 rebounds, leading an overwhelming South Carolina rebounding effort that started to wear on the Hawkeyes. The Gameco*cks enjoyed a 24-11 rebounding advantage in the second half, including six offensive boards, and a plus-6 advantage in second chance points helped South Carolina maintain its lead.

Paopao nailed a 3 to begin the fourth quarter, one of her three long-range bombs Sunday, and a familiarly balanced South Carolina scoring attack — seven Gameco*cks made at least three field goals — proved too much for a late Hawkeyes rally.

The Gameco*cks can taste it! After a valiant Iowa fightback cut the Hawkeye deficit to just four, a measured response from South Carolina saw the Gameco*cks back up 10 after a Raven Johnson free throw with just 90 seconds to go.

Iowa will look for a miracle comeback, while South Carolina looks for the finishing touches on a 38-0 season.

While the Hawkeyes have hung around admirably throughout the third quarter, an emphatic South Carolina run has the Gameco*cks threatening to pull away inside the final 11 minutes.

Caitlin Clark curbed a tough shooting quarter with a gusty take to the rim, pulling her Hawkeyes within just two, but South Carolina then launched a 3-point shooting barrage. Ashlyn Watkins started the run with a conversion at the rim, but Tessa Johnson and Bree Hall connected from long range to cap off the 8-0 run.

Johnson continued a stellar afternoon — her 15 points lead the Gameco*cks — with a 3-pointer from the left corner, and South Carolina grew its lead to 68-57 with just over a minute left in the third quarter.

After putting a pesky NC State squad away Friday with a dominant 29-6 third quarter, South Carolina looks on course for a similar surge out of the locker room. Chloe Kitts, who was limited to just nine minutes, ensured her spot on the floor with two straight baskets out of the intermission, and Te-Hina Paopao nailed a pull-up jumper to give her Gameco*cks a 55-46 lead and force Iowa coach Lisa Bluder to burn a quick timeout.

6-0 RUN TO OPEN UP THE THIRD QUARTER !!

🐔 55 | 46 🐤 pic.twitter.com/m9YqcS8Sfe

— South Carolina Women's Basketball (@Gameco*ckWBB) April 7, 2024

In a high-scoring affair that saw each team threatening to crack 50 points, it was ultimately a key defensive play that gave South Carolina some rare separation and a jolt of momentum heading into the locker room.

Caitlin Clark sauntered up the floor with the ball and a chance to give her Hawkeyes a slim lead entering halftime, but the superstar was ultimately dispossessed by Raven Johnson, who flew down the floor uncontested and converted a layup. Johnson's bucket gave South Carolina a 49-46 lead, erasing a Hawkeye advantage as large as 11.

Here's a look at the complete halftime breakdown for both sides — and stay tuned for a thrilling second half:

After a 7-0 burst from South Carolina leveled the game at 27, the teams have traded haymakers in a thrilling start to the second quarter.

Tessa Johnson and Kamilla Cardoso have shouldered the second quarter load for the Gameco*cks, scoring all but two of South Carolina's points in the period, and a pair of baskets at the rim for the Brazilian star sandwiched a Tessa triple and gave South Carolina a 36-34 lead.

Everybody say YEAHHHH T3SSA!!

📺 @ABCNetwork pic.twitter.com/xPpqHCvB6h

— South Carolina Women's Basketball (@Gameco*ckWBB) April 7, 2024

Iowa punched right back, however, as Hannah Stuelke handled a beautiful feed from Caitlin Clark and finished through contact, giving her Hawkeyes a narrow lead entering the second quarter media timeout.

After corralling a loose ball to close out the first 10 minutes, Caitlin Clark received a rousing ovation from a partisan Hawkeye crowd after a nearly flawless first quarter. Clark finished the period with 18 points, including a deep, contested 3-pointer to send Iowa into the first quarter break with a 27-20 lead.

Kate Martin also contributed an impressive seven-point performance, and Iowa centers Hannah Stuelke and Addison O'Grady have done excellent work containing star Gameco*ck post Kamilla Cardoso to just 2 of 6 from the field.

Caitlin Clark has clearly shaken off her Rust Belt rust since arriving in Cleveland, as after a slow start in Friday's national semifinal the Hawkeye megastar has been nearly flawless against South Carolina.

The role players were rolling from the opening tip, as Kate Martin and Sydney Affolter gave Iowa a quick 7-0 lead, but Clark has scored Iowa's last 13 from all over the court. The newly crowned AP Player of the Year drained a pair of 3s, was fouled on two more attempts and converted at the rim to give her Hawkeyes a 20-9 lead with 4:45 left in the first quarter.

Rangeeeee 🎯@CaitlinClark22 x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/V7kMi4O7Ll

— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) April 7, 2024

One of the most anticipated championship bouts in women's college basketball history is officially underway, as South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso won the opening tip and her Gameco*cks secured the first possession. The NCAA.com team is live in Cleveland for up-to-the-minuteupdates on stats, scores and more, so make sure to follow along all day long.

Here's a look at the starting lineups for each side:

NCAA.com correspondent Autumn Johnson is on the floor with warmups well underway in Cleveland, offering her thoughts on the national championship game set to unfold:

.@autumnjohnsontv gives us a preview of today's Championship match up and breaks down both teams keys to win.#WFinalFour pic.twitter.com/uR0tTzuEpJ

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) April 7, 2024

What projects to be a partisan Iowa crowd made their presence felt more than two hours before tip-off Sunday, as thousands lined up around Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to catch a glimpse of star Hawkeye Caitlin Clark entering the arena.

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley also arrived to a warm reception, and all the stars are in the building for a thrilling national championship clash.

Here's how the teams stack up against each other based on past performance: