Defensive stand carries Iowa to second straight national title game
By Susan Harman
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Gabbie Marshall played such great defense throughout the national semifinal with Connecticut that it was fitting she was involved in the biggest play of the game. On defense.
Marshall was brushed aside on a moving screen by Connecticut’s All-American post Aaliyah Edwards with about 3 seconds left in the game. The official called the foul, and UConn’s chances of winning in the last possession went out the window.
Iowa escaped with a 71-69 victory over the Huskies and will play undefeated and top-ranked South Carolina at 2 p.m. (CDT) for the national championship. The game is on ABC.
The last couple plays of the game exemplified some of the difficulties the Hawkeyes had during the game. Iowa led 70-64 after a Kate Martin spinning drive down the lane with about 2:30 left to play.
But the Huskies answered with a sweet pass from Paige Bueckers to a cutting Edwards.
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark missed a shot when she cut to the basket, but Bueckers missed a wide-open three. Iowa couldn’t take advantage though, as it turned the ball over again. Nika Muhl hit a three at the other end, and Iowa led by only one point.
Iowa held the ball to drain the clock.
“I think it was 39 seconds was the game clock, 30 on the shot clock,” Clark said. “So a nine-second differential. I let it go down. I think I started to drive right at about nine seconds, and Aaliyah Edwards was guarding (Hannah Stuelke). And she was popping straight up to the top of the key, and Aaliyah Edwards completely left her to come double or show on me.
“So the read is to give the ball up. Hannah made a great play. The other two girls helped in. They got a deflection on the ball and were able to get the ball and call timeout.”
Trailing 70-69, UConn players dashed off the court in celebration and had 9 seconds left to win the game.
“I don’t think I was ever worried about the game,” Stuelke said. “You know, we had the chance to get a defensive stop, and that’s what we did. Gabbie’s great in those situations. She always comes up with big plays, whether it’s a block or whatever.”
This time it was a whatever.

Iowa thought the ball would go to Edwards inside or to Bueckers to create. The possession started slowly and six seconds elapsed before the whistle.
Marshall stuck to Bueckers.
“I was staying on her hip the whole game, and if I’m on her hip the person can’t move into you,” Marshall said. “They have to give me room to go around if you’re sticking with them on their hip. And so I hit it (the screen). I knew it was a moving screen.”
“They were calling pistol, I mean it’s a dribble drive and then a hammer screen for Paige,” Kate Martin said. “Gabbie was trailing on Paige’s hip, and Aliyah set a moving screen. And that’s kind of what happened. Gabbie came up huge.”
The crowd seemed stunned by the whistle off the ball, but the Hawkeyes knew exactly what had happened and what it meant.
“I just heard the whistle, and I was really excited,” Stuelke said.
Edwards said she thought it was a clean play.
“We just had a play,” Bueckers said. “I thought we were going to run it. I thought we executed it well. We were going to get a shot off. The whistle blew. I didn’t see it. It was in the rear of me. I was just trying to come off the screen.”
Iowa took the ball out, and Clark was fouled immediately. She made one free throw but missed the second. Sydney Affolter came to the rescue, leaping high for the rebound, her sixth offensive rebound of the game. She was tied up, but the possession arrow was in Iowa’s favor with a fraction of a second left and that was that.
The first half was ugly, and only its defense and pluck kept Iowa within 32-26 at halftime. Iowa scored only 26 first-half points against West Virginia in the second-round win as well.
But Marshall was key. She ran all over the court guarding Bueckers, UConn’s All-American who came in averaging 28 points in NCAA tourney games. Bueckers was 3-of-9 in the first half for seven points and finished with 17. Marshall, who played all but 46 seconds of the game, kept Bueckers from being Bueckers.
“Honestly my freshman year I wasn’t very good at defense,” Marshall said. “That’s the one thing that coaches told me to work on. Since then I have taken so much pride in my defense. I’ve brought more energy and effort at the defensive end. It’s all about effort and energy, the things you can control.
“That’s why I take so much pride in it. It’s so much fun to me. I get the challenge to guard the other team’s best player.”
Marshall, who scored five points, was surrounded by reporters after the game and tried to explain what it is that turns this mild-mannered guard into big-time defender. Martin had the answer.
“She’s super annoying,” Martin said. “You wouldn’t think she’d be like a good post defender because I’ll try to post her up sometimes. She’s a lot stronger than you’d give her credit for. So I mean she’s just a pest because she’s never going to give up. She’s relentless. And that’s what you want on your team, but that’s not what you really want to play against.
“She gets fiery; she gets passionate out there. That really encourages us too, like we mean business.”
Business opens Sunday afternoon for the last time this year.