Iowa 75 - 87 South Carolina summary, stats, scores and highlights | NCAA National Championship

Kamila Cardoso was named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player posting 15 and 17 in the title game! She averaged 15.6 points and 10.8 rebounds in the Big Dance.  

There is no question. The South Carolina Gamecocks are the premier program in the NCAA at the moment. Forget UCONN. Forget Iowa. For get LSU. It's South Carolna who reign supreme in college basketball!

For the 10th time in the history of the game a team makes an undefeated run to the final and wins the National Championship! Dawn Staley has brought a third titl to the program and at the same time gets revenge after losing their perfect season to Iowa in the Final Four last year. 

South Caroilna's size overwhelmed the Hawkeyes all night and they ended up grabbing 51 rebounds, 19 of them on the offensive end as opposed to Iowa's total rebounds. Kamila Cardoso dropped 15 and 17 and Ashlyn Watkins had some big defensive plays and rebounds to hold off the highly potent Iowa attack. 

Clark ended the game as the leading scorer, the leading scorer in NCAA tournament, and the All-Time leading scorer in NCAA basketball history. She did everything she possible could in her career, and in the title game, but for the second straight year the Hawkeyes came up short of title glory. 

The Gamecocks ended the first half and started the second half on an 11-0 run which built the lead up to nine but once again Iowa came battling back. This three ball from Bree Hall was a turning point in the game. Iowa went from two down to ten down in the blink of an eye as Hall got the biggest three points of her career. 

The Gamecocks took control in the second quarter, erasing the double digit lead and taking the advantage a few minutes left in the first half. Iowa would respond but MilAysia Fulwiley and Raven Johnson took the lead back in a big momentum swinging series to end the first half. The bench was pivotal for SC. Johnson had 19 but Fulwiley poured in 9, grabbed 4 rebounds and dished 4 assists as the bench outscored Iowa's 37-0. 

Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes came out swinging in the first quarter, taking a 10-0 run and Clark would end the first 10 minutes with 18 points to set an all time NCAA Tournament record for points off a career passing Chamique Holdsclaw. 

The South Carolina Gamecocks complete their undefeated season and got their revenge on Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the National TItle game from Cleveland, Ohio. Tessa Johnson dropped 19 off the bench to lead her team to just the 10th perfect season in Women's College Basketball history!

IT'S ALL OVER!!! 

The South Carolina Gamecocks complete their perfect season and leave the greatest player ever without championship glory!

Clark and company get swapped out for one last time this season to a huge standing ovation from US and Iowa fans alike. 

Timeout Iowa with under a minute to go. 

Paopao to the line after the foul on Clark and she hits both FTs with 1:07 to go!

Johnson to the FT line and she hits one of two after the foul on Johnson. 

Watkins gets fouled by Martin and hits one of two FTs. 

Cardoso finds some space in the lane and hits the lay up! It's a three possession game from Cleveland with 1:51 to go. 

Paopao to the line after the foul on Affolter and she hits one of two FTs. 

Affolter floats it up and in after getting bumped from the back. FT is good after the foul on Hall. 

Hall pulls up from the FT line and sinks it out of the timeout. 

Timeout with 4:39 to go in the 4th quarter! It's going down to the wire here from Cleveland!

Clark finds Martin off the in bound and it's a six point game with 5:00 to go. 

Johnson to the line after the foul on Martin, and she hits both FTs. 

Offensive board for O'Grady and she hits Marshall for the three ball on the second chance!

8-0 run for Iowa. 

Clark drops a three ball and the lead is back to single digits!

Affolter sinks two FTs after the foul on Fulwiley. 

Kitts to the cup and lays it up after driving down the lane. 

Martin to the line after the foul on Cardoso and she hits one of two FTs. 

Cardoso with the put back off the second chance points and the Gamecocks size is taking it's affect. 

Fulwiley drives on the left side and drops the runner of the glass. 

Clark finds the bottom of the net from the FT line and she's got to get going. She's got 27. 

Stuelke to the line out of the break, but she misses both FTs and Johnson drills the FT line jumper after her defender fell. 

WE ARE HEADED TO THE FINAL QUARTER HERE FROM CLEVELAND!!!

SC leads by 9 with 10 minutes to go!

Affolter gets the lay up to go after a tight pass in the lane from O'Grady. 

Timeout Iowa with 1:06 to go in the 3rd quarter!

Johnson with another three ball and she's taking over in this third quarter!!!

Martin fouled by Watkins and she hits both FTs. 

Hall adds to the lead with a three ball from the wing off the feed from Johnson!

Stuelke missed a gimme underneath and Johnson strokes a three ball from the wing!

Watkins gers the offensive board and the put back fresh off the bench. 

Clark gets it out of the timeout and spins in the lane for the lay up. 

Clark with another sweet dish to Stuelke down low for the lay up underneath. 

TV timeout with under 5:00 to go in the 3rd quarter!

Hall gets the jumper to go to calm the nerves of the Gamecocks fans here in Cleveland. 

Marshall drills a three ball after the charge on Kitts and we are back to a four point game!

Cardoso fouled by Stuelke but she misses both FTs. 

Clark gets to the block and finishes in traffic over two defenders. That ends an 11-0 run dating back to the first half. 

Paopao gets the roll off the front of the rim on the leaner in the lane. 

SC are on a 6-0 run to start the third and Iowa need a timeout!

Kitts with back to back buckets, this one from the baseline and the lead is up to 7, SC's largest of the night. 

Kitts puts it on the deck and lays it up and in from the left side of the lane. 

THE SECOND HALF IS UNDERWAY FROM CLEVELAND!!!

Paopao drilled the three to take the lead and then Johnson picked Clarks' pocket for the lay up to end the first half. Cardoso has 11, Paopao has 9 all from downtown and Fluwiley has 7. 

Affalot has 5 points, and Martin has 11 most of them came early. Stuelke is off to a great start with 9 and 3 rebounds but it's all about Clark. She's got 21 points, but she was kept quiet in the second quarter 

South Carolina is deep and they used that to their advantage in the second quarter. Tessa Johnson had 9 off the bench and tied the game up to erase a one time 11 point lead. 

Clark had 18 first quarter points to take the All-Time lead for NCAA Tournament points in a career. There aren't many records she doesn't own. She's just missig a title. 

Clark and Iowa were gunning out of the gate in their second straight title game. They jumped out to a 10-0 lead and were dominant in the first quarter. 

WE ARE HEADED TO HALFTIME FROM CLEVELAND!!

Carolina lead by 3 after a red hot start from Clark. 

Clark has her pocket picked by Johnson who takes it all the way for the steal and the score!

Paopao with another quick trigger thee from the wing and she's 3/3 from downtown!

Martin with a lay up out. of the break after Stuelke found her with the pass across the paint. 

Johnson with another dish that leads to an assist, this one to Kitts. 

SC is going to take a timeout with 1:00 to go in the first half. 

Feagin with the layup after the dump down underneath from Johnson. 

Clark hits another three ball, her first since the first quarter!

Paopao steps into a three ball and strokes it from the wing!

Martin slithers through two defenders in the paint and hits the fader with one hand. 

Stuelke to the line after the foul on Cardoso and she hits both FTs. 

Kitts to the line after the foul on Affolter and she hits one of two FTs. 

Stuelke gets the FT to go out of the break. 

Stuelke off the pick and roll and she gets the bucket and the foul! 

TImeout with Iowa at the line with 4:11 to go in the first half. 

Cardoso gives SC their first lead of the afternoon after a beautiful assist from Watkins. 

Johnson drills a three ball to tie us up, and the Gamecocks have rebounded after going down 10-0 to start the game. 

Clark of the pick and roll to Stuelke for the lay up her second straight. 

Cardoso gets the ball on the block, backs down and lays it up and in. 

Affolter to the FT line and dumps it down for Stuelke for the lay up. 

Cardoso to the line and she misses both after the foul on Martin but Feagin was there for the lay in off the offensive board. 

Clark had her drive and lay up blocked, but got it back and found Affolter in corner for three!

Cardoso gets the bucket to fall and the foul on O'Grady! FT is good to complete the three point play!

7-0 run to start the quarter. 

Jonson going to the rack after running the break and the freshman has two quick buckets off the bench. 

Johnson gets the baseline jumper to go off the dribble. 

Clark sinks a three ball to end the first quarter and she's already got 18 points!!!

Clark goes to the cup and gets the lay up to go to put an end to the SC run. 

Johnson strokes the baseline jumper and the Gamecocks are within 2 points. 

Fulwiley drills a three ball and someone is looking like they are ready to give Clark a fight on the biggest stage!

Fulwiley with another lay up and the Gamecocks are starting to get better looks downlow. 

Matin to the line after the foul on Watkins and she hits both FTs. 

Fulwiley with a lay up and the Gamecocks are on a mini run out of the timeout. 

Feagin comes out of the timeout and gets the lay up to go. 

First TV timeout with 4:45 to go in the first quarter. 

Clsrk to the line and she hits both FTs after the foul on Kitts. 

KItts lays it up and in and the Gamecocks are just trying to keep pace. 

Clark drills another three ball and she's in double digits already! Are we on the verge of witnessing history?

Kardoso going strong to the bucket and she banks it up and in. 

Clark lays it up and in and shes having a fantastic showing after a slow start last game against UCONN> 

Paopao drills the three ball to get the Carolina on the board from downtown. 

Clark fouled on the three ball and she hits all three FTs 

Cardoso finally gets the Gamecocks on the board with a lay up. 

Clark drills a three ball to get her night started. What a start it's been for Iowa. 

Affolter to the rack in transition and she lays it up and in off the glass 

Martin with back to back buckets to start her night. She hits it from the mid range. 

Martin drills the three ball off the dish from Affolter to get us going here in the National Championship. 

WE ARE UNDERWAY FROM CLEVELAND!!!

SC Tourney history

Dawn Staley took over the women’s program in 2008 and revolutionized Gamecock basketball forever. She has turned this team into a powerhouse that is expected to compete for a national title every year. Before Staley’s arrival, the Gamecocks had never made the Final Four and only got past the Sweet 16 once. That came in 2002, but since 2008 when Staley was appointed coach, they have reached six Final Fours and won two titles. Their first title came in 2017, and their second one came five years later as the Gamecocks went from onetime winners Final Four regulars. They have a chance for number three tonight, but they know they are going to have to play the game of their season against Caitlin Clark and Iowa.

Iowa tourney history

Believe or not, there was Iowa Women’s basketball before Caitlin Clark came to Iowa City. In fact, the Hawkeyes had made the Final Four before Clark was even born, but the Iowa native has brought the program back to the big stage over the last four years, and they are back in the National Championship for the second time in as many years. This is just the third appearance in the Final Four and second ever time in the title game, and the Hawkeyes have a chance to bring the first national championship home tonight if they can figure out a way to knock off what has been the power house of the last two decades. 

Star watch: South Carolina

The Carolina Gamecocks lost their entire starting five that got them to the Final Four last year. In a brief but lucrative history under Dawn Staley, this might be the future Hall of Famers most amazing coaching job ever. Kamila Cardoso is the top scorer on the team at 14.3 a night while dragging down 9.5 rebounds a game. She is the rock. She is the anchor. Raven Johnson pulls the strings for the offense while MiLaysia Fulwiley adds another dynamic of excitement and highlight plays that make you glue your eyes to the TV set all night. It’s the most complete team in the league trying to stop the best college player that has ever played the game tonight from Cleveland.

Star watch Iowa

After a subpar outing in the Final Four, expect big things from Caitlin Clark tonight in the National Championship. She was ice cold from three point range against UCONN, but lightening isn’t bound to strike twice in a a matter of a couple days. She has been sensational her entire career at Iowa, but she saved her best season for last averaging 31.7 points, 9 assists and more than five made threes a game, all of which are top in the country, and all of which were enough for her to win her second straight AP Player of the Year. Tonight she will look to cross off the only thing that has eluded her in her historic career in the college ranks, a National Championship.

South Carolina: how they got here

The Gamecock went into their made in the Carolina’s Final Four match up with a perfect record, much like the way they went into their last Final Four matchup last year against Iowa. The Wolfpack gave them all they could handle for the first two quarters, but a 29-6 third quarter in favor of South Carolina broke the game wide-open and the Gamecocks cruised to the win in the final 10 minutes as Dawn Staley returned her program to the National Championship for the third time in her brief but successful stint in Columbia

Iowa's last game

Neither Caitlin Clark, nor Iowa had their best game in the Final Four match up against UCONN on Saturday night. Clark had just six points in the first half, and didn’t hit a three for the first time in a first half of an NCAA Tournament game. Luckily for the Hawkeyes Hannah Stuekle was unstoppable down low and she carried the load for the majority of the game. Iowa trailed for most of the game, but Clark started to see a couple threes fall and the Hawkeyes rallied to take the lead lead on. They would stretch the lead to as many as 10 points, but UCONN battled back to close the game within one with under a minute to go. The Huskies had a chance to take the lead but a controversial illegal screen call on Aaliyah Edwards sealed the game for Iowa. 

We are live from Cleveland

Hello everyone and welcome to the National Championship where these two teams have been waiting for this match up for the last year. It’s a rematch of last year’s Final Four encounter that the Hawkeyes beat the Gamecocks to hand them their first loss of the season and reach the National Championship for the first time in program history. Tonight the Gamecocks are looking for revenge, coming into tonight with a perfect record and looking to spoil the perfect end to Caitlin Clark’s college career. I don’t think the NCAA could have hand picked two better finalists for tonight’s game, so sit back and enjoy the show.

Iowa vs. South Carolina

It all comes down to this. The women’s college basketball season culminates with a dream match up between the top team in the nation and the two time National Player of the Year, and one of the best to ever play the game. Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes take on the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks in the title game from Cleveland, Ohio and AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s game from Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.