Iowa’s supporting cast rises to occasion in 71-69 win over UConn in NCAA semifinal
By Pat Harty
Caitlin Clark’s supporting cast is easy to overlook because of her greatness, but they rose to the occasion in spectacular fashion against Connecticut in an NCAA semifinal on Friday in Cleveland, Ohio.
Sophomore forward Hannah Stuelke scored 23 points and graduate guard Kate Martin made two huge baskets in the final minutes of the fourth quarter as Iowa held on to defeat UConn 71-69, setting up a showdown against South Carolina in the national championship game on Sunday.
Senior guard Gabbie Marshall also played locked-down defense on UConn star Paige Bueckers, while junior guard/forward Sydney Affolter had six offensive rebounds, and now Iowa (34-4) has a chance to make history by winning a national title first the first time.
But it won’t be easy as Iowa faces top-ranked and undefeated South Carolina (37-0) in the title game.
South Carolina defeated North Carolina State 78-59 in the other semifinal on Friday.
Iowa defeated South Carolina 77-73 in the NCAA semifinals last season as Clark scored 41 points.
In Friday’s win, Clark finished with 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, but offense didn’t come easy as UConn made stopping her a priority, face-guarding her from start to finish.
That’s why you need a supporting cast.
“That’s what you’re going to see at this point,” Clark said on the ESPN post-game interview. “They’re going to really sell out on me, and I thought my teammates stepped up and did a really good job. They made some big baskets when we needed it, so I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Stuelke’s ability to run the floor helped to create multiple scoring opportunities for the Cedar Rapids native.
“My teammates did a great job of getting me the ball in there and I just went to work,” Stuelke said. “Caitlin is a great passer, so she’s always giving me the ball when I need it.”
The score was even at 51 heading into the fourth quarter as Iowa erased a six-point halftime deficit with a lot of help from Stuelke, who scored 19 points in the first three quarters.
The stage was set for a classic final 10 minutes with a trip to the national championship game on the line.
Clark made a 3-point shot to give Iowa a 56-51 lead and then she made another basket to give Iowa a 60-55 lead.
Iowa’s all-everything senior guard was getting hot at the right time, while the Huskies were struggling to make shots and were hampered by foul problems.
UConn cut the lead to 70-69 in the closing seconds and had a chance to win the game until forward Aaliyah Edwards was called for a foul in the final seconds while trying to set a screen.
The foul on Edwards was criticized by ESPN broadcaster Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter after the game and will likely be a polarizing topic moving forward.
But Marshall deserves credit for selling the foul as she tried to fight through the screen.
UConn built a 12-point lead in the first half, but Iowa was able to trim the deficit to six (32-26) by halftime.
To only be down by six points at the break was cause for optimism considering how poorly Iowa performed on offense in the first half.
Clark missed all six of her shots from 3-point range in the half, and Iowa also had 12 turnovers.
The Huskies face-guarded Clark throughout the first half and took away the middle of the floor where she is so effective as a scorer and as a passer.
Iowa can score points in a hurry, though, so there was no reason to panic heading into the second half.
UConn also had three players with two fouls heading into the second half, including starters Nika Muhl and Aaliyah Edwards.
Muhl had spent most of the first half guarding Clark.
The Huskies continued that strategy in the second half, but Clark answered with 15 points in the second half as Iowa started to score more in transition.
And while the foul on Edwards was questionable, Iowa still found a way to win on night when Clark was held to 11 points below her scoring average.
That says a lot about her supporting cast.