CLEVELAND — — Caitlin Clark led Iowa again to the nationwide championship recreation, scoring 21 factors because the Hawkeyes rallied previous Paige Bueckers and UConn 71-69 within the girls’s Final Four on Friday night time.

Next up for the Hawkeyes (34-4) is a rematch with unbeaten South Carolina, which misplaced to Iowa in final yr’s nationwide semifinals. The Hawkeyes then fell in need of profitable the college’s first championship, falling to LSU within the title recreation. Now Clark is one win away from bringing her dwelling state its first girls’s basketball title within the ultimate recreation of her school profession.

“It’s gonna take one via 5. They’re so expert. They performed an ideal recreation right this moment,” Clark said of South Carolina. “At this point anybody can take it. You’ve got to go prep, you’ve got one day to take of yourself, so we’ll be ready.”

After a rough opening 30 minutes because of a swarming UConn defense, the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer finally got going in the fourth quarter.

With the game tied at 51-all, Clark scored seven points in the first 2 1/2 minutes of the period to give Iowa a small cushion. UConn (33-6) got within 60-57 before the Hawkeyes scored six straight to take a 66-57 advantage.

Iowa led 70-66 before Nika Muhl hit a 3-pointer after a steal with 39.3 seconds left to get the Huskies within one.

Iowa’s Hannah Stuelke turned it over with 10 seconds left. UConn had a chance to take the lead, but Aaliyah Edwards was called for an offensive foul while setting a screen with 4.6 seconds left.

Clark made one free throw but missed the second. Teammate Sydney Affolter got the rebound and UConn tied her up, forcing a jump ball. The possession arrow kept the ball with the Hawkeyes, who sealed the win by throwing the ball in the air to run out the final seconds.

Stuelke scored 23 points to lead Iowa. Clark finished with nine rebounds and seven assists.

“I thought we started off the fourth quarter really good,” Clark stated. “Came up with some large baskets. Hannah got here up with some baskets. Kate (Martin) was large. Just resilient.”

Bueckers and Edwards every scored 17 factors for the Huskies, who have been again within the Final Four after a one-year hiatus that ended their run of 14 straight seasons within the nationwide semifinals. This might need been the very best teaching job by Geno Auriemma. UConn had hopes of profitable the twelfth title in class historical past coming into the season, however these have been shortly dashed by a collection of accidents that sidelined almost half of its roster.

But Bueckers, the nationwide participant of the yr as a freshman in 2021 who returned to that type after lacking a whole season and a part of one other with accidents, carried the Huskies again into title competition.

UConn acquired going early behind Bueckers and stellar protection by Nika Muhl and her teammates, who swarmed Clark each time she touched the ball. The Huskies led by 12 factors within the second quarter.

Iowa trailed by six on the half earlier than getting going within the third quarter behind their star. She made her first 3-pointer of the sport 2 minutes into the interval, after which her four-point play acquired Iowa inside one. The Hawkeyes then took their first lead later within the interval proper earlier than Martin acquired hit within the face by Edwards, leading to a bloody nostril. She ran off the court docket, leaving a path of blood behind her.

Martin was again on the Iowa bench earlier than they’d completed cleansing the court docket. She then hit three large baskets down the stretch.

“Couldn’t be happier with our performance tonight in the second half,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder stated. “First half was a little rough for us. We really kept believing.”

Clark had a troublesome first half, scoring six factors whereas lacking all six of her 3-point makes an attempt. She barely acquired any open photographs and at occasions seemed annoyed. Iowa’s coaches saved shouting phrases of encouragement to their generational participant.

Even although she wasn’t scoring, Clark saved the Hawkeyes within the recreation with six rebounds and 4 assists because the Hawkeyes trailed 32-26 on the break.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket/ and protection: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness