Iowa vs. South Carolina 2024 NCAA women’s basketball championship score updates, highlights, analysis

CLEVELAND — Quite a bit bigger. A whole lot deeper. And just a little bit better. South Carolina proved its No. 1 ranking and upheld its unbeaten record, topping No. 2 Iowa, 87-75, in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament final Sunday afternoon at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

The Gamecocks (38-0) captured their third national championship (2017, 2022, 2024), and won for the 80th time in the last 81 games, with the lone loss coming to Iowa in the 2023 national semifinals in Dallas. They are the ninth team in NCAA history to go undefeated.

Iowa (34-5) couldn’t make a fast start stick, and is the runner-up for the second straight year. The Hawkeyes fell to LSU, 102-85, in the 2023 title game.

Caitlin Clark finished with 30 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Hawkeyes. She concludes her career with 3,951 points, most in NCAA history.

The Hawkeyes scored the first 10 points of the game and led 20-9 at the midpoint of the opening quarter. South Carolina closed within 22-20, but Clark scored on a drive, then a 3-pointer to finish the first quarter with 18 points. Iowa led 27-20. The 27 points were the most allowed in a quarter by the Gamecocks all season.

The Hawkeyes had a rough patch to start the second quarter, and South Carolina pounced with a 7-0 run in 1:39 to draw even at 27-27. Kamilla Cardoso’s basket gave South Carolina its first lead, 36-34. Clark’s lone basket of the second quarter was a 3-pointer to put the Hawkeyes in front 44-40, but the Gamecocks closed the half with a 9-2 run and took a 49-46 lead into the locker room. The Hawkeyes never led again.

South Carolina limited the Hawkeyes to 5-of-17 shooting in the third quarter and pushed its advantage to 68-59 behind a pair of 3-pointers by Tessa Johnson. The largest margin was 76-62 on Cardoso’s putback with 7:45 to go. Iowa got within 80-75 on Sydney Affolter’s three-point play with 4:13 left, but the Hawkeyes didn’t score again.

Five Gamecocks scored in double figures, led by Tessa Johnson’s 19 points. Cardoso added 15 points and 17 rebounds, helping stake South Carolina to a 51-29 advantage on the glass. South Carolina owned a 37-0 advantage in bench points. Iowa’s Kate Martin scored 16 points, Affolter 12, Hannah Stuelke 11.

— Jeff Linder