UCONN 69 - 71 Iowa summary, stats, scores and highlights | NCAA Women’s semifinal
If you'd like to know how to watch Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes in action in Sunday's National Championship Game, why not take a look at our guide on where you can tune in?
Unfortunately this game is going to be remembered for one play and one call when we look back at this classic Final Four matchup. UCONN had a chance to take the lead with under 10 seconds to go, down by one when Aaliyah Edwards was called for an offensive foul that will be shrouded in controversy.
Caitlin Clark would hit one of two FTs after the foul on Edwards, and her teammates would grab the rebound and secure Iowa's spot in their second straight NCAA Title game.
Iowa built up a 10 point lead in the fourth quarter, but the Huskies came battling back as Muhl hit the three ball to cut the lead to one with under a minute to go.
Clark deserves a lot of credit for the win, but the Hawkeyes don't win this game without Hannah Stuelke. Stuelke did everything for her team, and dominated whether that meant banging down low or running the break.
Once Clark got going there was no stopping her. She finished the game with 21 points, and while she didn't have her best shooting game she ended the night with 7 assists including a couple of big ones late in the game.
UCONN controlled the game for the first 20 minutes while Clark struggled from the field. She had just 6 points through the opening two quarters, and was 0/6 from three point range as Nika Muhl did a great job shadowing the Iowa star.
The Iowa Hawkeyes are on their way to their second straight NCAA title game after edging out the UCONN Huskies on Friday night in Cleveland. It was Hannah Stuelke led her side in the victory with 23 points in the National Semifinal.
While the spotlight was on Caitlin Clark, her teammates were ready to answer the call and no one more so than Stuelke. UCONN came out hot, and jumped out to a double digit lead, but Stuelke kept her team in the game as Caitlin Clark tried to find her flow on the offensive end.
IOWA HANG ON TO WIN THE NATIONAL SEMIFINAL AND THEY ARE HEADED BACK TO THE TITLE GAME!!!
Clark is fouled by Bueckers and she hits one of two, missing the second FT but Iowa got the offensive board!
An offensive foul is called on Edwards who was trying to set a screen for Buecklers! Iowa ball with 3.9 on the clock.
UCONN come up with a steal on the kickout from Stuelke and they take a timeout with 12 to go!
Muhl comes up with a steal and then got it back from the kick out from Arnold and drills the three ball!
Timeout Iowa with 39 on the clock!
Bueckers creating off the dribble and she finds Edwards slashing to the cup for the lay up.
Martin corkscrews down the lane and floats it up and in with 2:00 go!
Arnold spins in the lane and goes under her defender for the lay up off the glass.
Timeout Iowa with 2:38 to go in the 4th.
Martin with the turn around fader from outside the lane and she gets it to fall with under 3:00 to go.
Just when UCONN need it Bueckers comes up with a huge three ball off the steal from Muhl!
Edwards with a pump fake in the paint and she finishes in traffic.
Kick out from Affolter to Marshall and she drills the deep two from the wing! Iowa leads by 9 with 5:42 to go!
Martin pulls up in the paint and she gets the fader to fall.
Clark with the steal on one end, runs the break and finds Stuelke running the seam for a lay up in transition.
Timeout Iowa with 7:27 to go in the 4th quarter.
Brady in the lane and she gets the jumper to fall.
Clark off the dribble and steps back for the mid range jumper on the wing.
Edwards gets the roll on the baseline jumper.
Clark to the line after the Brady and she hits both FTs.
Brady hits the mid range jumper, and that's a big shot to stop the Iowa run.
Clark drills a three ball from the top of the key and the Hawkeyes have their largest lead of the game!
Dump down to Stuelke from Marshall and she gets it to fall from the block! Stuelke is over 20 tonight!
WE ARE HEADED TO THE FINAL QUARTER WITH ALL SQUARE WITH 10 MORE MINUTES.
Brady working the high low with Edwards who lays it up in the soft spot of the Iowa zone.
Affolter on the drive after the offensive rebound from Stuelke and she bakes the runner of the glass.
Edwards was left alone at the FT line and she hits the mid range jumper.
Clark penetrates and dumps it off from Stuelke who gets it to go down low. She's got 19 on the night.
Arnold drives baseline and dumps it off to Edwards for the lay up in the lane.
Stuelke fouled by Arnold, her fourth, and the Hawkeye hits both FTs. Iowa lead for the first time since early in this ball game.
Clark finds Stuelke down low and she gets another close range effort to fall! Timeout Huskies with 3:07 to go in the 3rd quarter.
Edwards fouled by Martin and she goes to the line where she hits one of two FTs.
Clark drllls a three ball and gets fouled by Shade! FT is good to complete the four point play! we have a one point game with under 4:00 to go in the 3rd.
Brady backing down Stuelke this time and she puts it up and it with the foul! FT is good.
Stuelke drew the foul from Brady, her third, and she drops both FTs from the line.
Arnold picks up her third, and that's going to send us to a timeout with 4:59 to go in the 3rd quarters.
Brady finds Bueckers on the cut down low and she gets the roll of the glass.
Stuelke to the line after the foul on Brady and she hits one of two FTs.
Bueckers puts the Huskies back in the lead with a pull up three ball from the top of the key!
Martin ties us up with a spin move down low and a reverse lay in.
Clark finally sees a three ball go off a double screen from the top of the key!
Bueckers off the dribble and she takes it to the rack for a lay in.
Stuelke down low and she gets it to go off the entry pass from Affloter.
Arnold picking up where she left off with a drive to the rack and a lay up.
Marshall starts the third quarter with a three ball from the wing!
WE ARE BACK IN PLAY FOR THE SECOND HALF FROM CLEVELAND!
Stuelke leads the Hawkeyes with 8 points on 4/5 shooting while the rest of the team is struggling to see shots drop. Iowa is shooting 38% and is just 3/14 from downtown. Clark has been held to 6 points off 3/11 shooting and 0/6 from downtown but you just get the feeling she's not going to be kept quiet for long.
Paige Bueckers has took a little while to get going but she warmed up late in the second quarter and she goes to the halftime break with 7 points on 3/9 shooting.
Aliyah Edwards has been doing a little bit of everything. She helped the Huskies take a double digit lead that they kept until the end of the half. Edwards has 4 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals.
There was a lot of talk about Clark and Bueckers, but it's been the freshman KK Arnold who has showed up the most tonight in Cleveland.
Bueckers off the dribble down the lane and she finishes off the crystal and that's going to bring this first half to an end!
Clark down low to Affolter and she lays it in from down low! 10-2 run from Iowa.
Clark into the lane and she banks in the runner.
Arnold going into traffic and she gets it to go off the glass from outside the lane.
Affotler with the step back three ball from the wing and they are now 3/12 from DT.
Arnold sends Affloter to the line and she hits one of two FTs.
Clark finally finds some space and goes down the lane for a lay up off the glass.
Quick trigger from Bueckers in transition after Arnold found her in the corner and she drills it!
Edwards picks off the pass from Clark and takes it all the way for the steal and score!
Clark is having a nightmare start to this game. Timeout Iowa with 6:47 to go in the first half.
Arnold turns on the jets and burns past her defender for a lay up down the lane.
Stuelke running the floor and Clark hit her down the seam for the lay up on the break.
Slip pass from Bueckers to Edwards who gets the open lay up off a genius pass from the UCONN star.
We are at the end of the first quarter and it's UCONN up by 5.
Clark has just two points, and Iowa had seven TOs while UCONN went 4/7 from three point range. Arnold has 6, Muhl 6 and Shade 5
Feuerbach answers back with a pull up from long range on the wing!
Muhl was dared to shoot the three from the wing and she rattles home the deep ball!
Shade jacks the three in the corner off the offensive rebound and kick out from Arnold and she gets the roll here from Cleveland!
Stuelke goes right into the body of Brady, and she gets it to fall off the glass AND 1!!! FT is no good.
Stuelke turns after getting the ball at the FT line with her back to the basket and she lays it up and in out of the timeout.
We are headed to our first timeout with 4:59 to go in the first quarter.
Stuelke off the inbound and Clark found her underneath for the lay up.
Arnold on the break and shes gets the lay up to go AND 1!!! FT is good after the foul on Clark.
Muhl was left alone at the top of the key and she drills the three ball!
Bueckers flashes to the FT line and hits the mid range jumper off the catch and shoot.
Martin was left alone in the corner and she jacks the three ball and drills it off the kickout from Affolter.
Arnold drills the three ball from the wing off the kick out from Edwards and the freshmen are off to a great start on this National Semifinal Saturday.
Shade off the dribble and she hits the mid range J.
Clark wastes no time getting herself going, diving straight to the rack and laying it up and in for her first of many buckets to come.
WE ARE UNDERWAY FROM CLEVELAND!!!
Auriemma: Clark the best
Geno Auriemma has seen his fair share of brilliant players pass through his programs and from a far in his time at UCONN. From Dianna Taurasi to Sue Bird to Maya Moore, to Candice Parker from a far, Geno has seen it all. When asked about Caitlin Clark, he said she’s the best he’s ever seen. Our Jen Bubel has more
History made in both Final Fours
The explosion of the the Women’s game has been historic over the last few years. With LSU and Iowa bringing in the ratings, and South Carolina’s undefeated season on top of UCONN’s resurgence, the game is at an all-time peak. One of the sub plots coming into the Final Four is that half of the teams competing in the mens and women’s semifinals come from the same campus. NC State and UCONN have both made it to the Final Four in the men’s and women’s bracket making it the first time that has ever happened during March Madness.
Record setting ratings
Last week’s Elite Eight match up had a little of everything. There was plenty of star power on the court with Caitlin Clark and Angle Reese going head to head. It was a rematch of last year’s title game. It was a a blend of sport and pop culture that attracted more audience than any other game in the history of the women’s game. At 12.3 million viewers, it wasn’t just the top audience in the history of women’s collegiate basketball, it was the top watched college basketball game on ESPN ever. According to ESPN, it was the most watched basketball game since LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers took on the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals back in 2018.
The UCONN disconnection
UCONN is, or at least was the pinnacle of the women’s game for the last three our four decades. Every little girl that ever picked up a basketball, and had dreams about making it to the big show surely thought about putting on the blue and white jerseys of UCONN and playing for Coach Geno. Caitlin Clark was no different. Clark was a star coming out of high school, and thought she would get a chance to play for the legendary program, but the call from coach never came. UCONN didn’t recruit her and she stayed local turning Iowa into the power house they are today. Now Clark has a chance to get her revenge on Auriemma and the Huskies on the biggest stage, and might even hand him the final loss of his career.
Record breaking ratings
Last week’s Elite Eight match up had a little of everything. There was plenty of star power on the court with Caitlin Clark and Angle Reese going head to head. It was a rematch of last year’s title game. It was a a blend of sport and pop culture that attracted more audience than any other game in the history of the women’s game. At 12.3 million viewers, it wasn’t just the top audience in the history of women’s collegiate basketball, it was the top watched college basketball game on ESPN ever. According to ESPN, it was the most watched basketball game since LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers took on the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals back in 2018.
Geno's last year?
There is a lot of speculation about Geno Auriemma and his future at UCONN after this season comes to a close. The legendary coach has hinted at hanging it up earlier this year following his 1,200th win. He was the third coach to reach the milestone, but doesn’t believe he is going to reach the summit of college basketball. "I could probably say, with a great deal of certainty, that I'll never be No. 1 in wins, I don't think that will happen," said the UCONN coach back in February. He has won 11 National Titles, and led his team to 14 consecutive Final Fours before failing to reach last year’s. It’s doubtful, but he could be coaching his final game tonight.
Star watch: UCONN
Before there was Caitlin Clark there was Paige Bueckers. She was all the buzz going into her freshman year at UCONN. She delivered the goods in her debut campaign, earning AP Player of the Year and Naismith College Player of the Year awards in 2021 after a 20 point, 4.9 rebounds and 5.8 assist campaign. She played just 17 games in her sophomore year due to a tibial plateau fracture, and was forced to miss all of last year after tearing her ACL in a pick up game before the season even started, forcing her to miss more than a year. After 369 days of rehab and recovery, Bueckers returned to the hardwood, and looks back to her best. She averaged 22 points, 5.2 rebonds and 3.9 assists this season and is going into the Final Four averaging 28 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists in the tournament.
Star watch: Iowa
It’s no secret who the Hawkeyes will rely on tonight. Caitlin Clark was just named the AP Player of the Year for the second straight year, and with good reason. While her Steph Curry-like shooting has propelled her into national stardom, she can dish the rock with the best of them. She is averaging 32 points and sinking 5.2 threes a game while dishing 9 assists, all of which are the best marks in the country. Her historic season is only matched by her historic career that has turned her in to the all time leading scorer in NCAA history, in the men’s and women’s game passing Pete Maravich’s all time mark of 3,667 points earlier this season.
How they got here: UCONN
After missing out on the Final Four last year, the UCONN Huskies came back with a mission this season. They may not have been the headline story all year, but as always they went about their business and earned a three seed seed in the tournament after going undefeated in the Big East in a five loss regular season. They won their Conference Championship, and entered the tournament as a three seed in their region. UCONN waltzed past Jackson State in the first round of the tournament, but it’s been a bumpy road since then. Syracuse gave them all they could handle in the second round, but the Huskies were able to hold off the Orange in an eight point victory. UCONN met up with Duke in the Sweet 16 and held the Dukies to just 45 points in a game that had less than 100 total points scored. Their Elite Eight game set up a match up with the one seed in their region, and their superstar Paige Bueckers outshined Juju Watkins, scoring 28 points and dishing 6 assists as the Huskies went on an 11-0 to knock off the Trojans.
How they got here: Iowa
The Hawkeyes had all eyes on them coming into the season and have delivered in a season in which they were expected to get to this point. After losing to LSU in last year’s title game, Clark and Iowa got their revenge on Angle Reese and the Tigers in the Elite 8. Before last week’s game, the Hawkeyes lost just four games on their way to a four loss regular season that earned them the one seed in their region. They cruised past Holy Cross in a 1 vs. 16 match up but struggled against West Virginia who put up a fight against Clark and Iowa. They were able to hold off the Mountaineers in a low scoring defensive battle, and they eased past Colorado with a 20+ point victory in the Sweet 16. Their rematch with LSU might have come earlier than anyone would have expected or wanted, but the Hawkeyes got their vengeance on the thorn in their side thanks to a 41 point, nine triple performance from Caitlin Clark.
We are live from Cleveland
Hello everyone and welcome to the NCAA Women’s basketball Final Four where the UCONN Huskies are back in the semifinal for the 23rd time in program history. The most storied team in the game is back where they believe they belong after a year absence, and are looking add to their already immense trophy case. The University of Iowa are back in the Final Four for a second straight year, hoping to reach the title game again in their quest for the first national championship in program history. Caitlin Clark has been instrumental in the programs explosion on to the national stage, but tonight could be her last college game ever if the Hawkeyes are knocked out tonight.
UCONN vs. Iowa live
The stage is set for Women’s basketball’s biggest weekend and the NCAA couldn’t have hand picked a better, more storybook semifinal. The winningest program in history will take on the in vogue team of the moment in the national semifinal tonight from Cleveland, Ohio. AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s game from Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.