CLEVELAND — The ovations for Caitlin Clark began as soon as she jogged onto the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse court for warm-ups. They continued into pregame introductions, when the sound of Clark’s name, not surprisingly, received the loudest roar of any player.
Facing UConn in the national semifinal, Clark scored on Iowa’s first possession. Perhaps a masterclass, similar to the one Clark logged against LSU with nine 3-pointers, would follow? Instead, Clark went the next 14 minutes without making another basket.
Prolific Clark performances have become commonplace throughout her final collegiate season and her last NCAA Tournament run. After defeating the Tigers in the Elite Eight, Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said she had run out of words to describe Clark’s greatness.
On Friday night, though, Clark wasn’t at her best. In the opening 20 minutes, she missed each of her six 3-point attempts. By halftime, Iowa looked like it was in trouble, trailing 32-26. She had made exactly as many field goals (three) as turnovers and went to the locker room with merely 6 points.
Instead of letting her off-night shooting derail her and effectively end her career with the Hawkeyes, she remained steady. So often, Clark’s shooting prowess stands out with scoring bursts into the 40s. Against UConn with a national title game berth on the line, her 15 second-half points were as important as any she’s ever scored.
It was Clark’s emotional growth that paid dividends, lifting Iowa to a 71-69 victory to advance back to Sunday’s championship against undefeated South Carolina.
“I think that’s the biggest way I’ve grown over the last four years,” Clark said. “That’s what I tell people I’m most proud of, the way my mind has changed.”
This was just the second time all season that Caitlin Clark was not Iowa’s leading scorer.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) April 6, 2024
It wasn’t an accident that Clark reached this point. Clark’s trainer, Kevin O’Hare, began working with her before her junior year of high school, back when Iowa still aspired to make even one Final Four let alone consecutive appearances. Back then, O’Hare recalled, “every play was a national championship to (Clark).” Mistakes, both in practices and at games, “would eat her alive and destroy her,” he said.
As she transitioned to the Hawkeyes, on-court shortcomings still lingered. Frustration would build, and eventually overflow. Teammates were targeted as were referees. Admittedly, sometimes they still are — evident throughout this tournament when she struggled. Take her slamming the ball against her own head in exasperation against Holy Cross in the first round.
Clark knows she isn’t perfect. “But she’s picking and choosing when to do certain things,” O’Hare said. “She’s really grown from that standpoint.”
He said the largest point of Clark’s evolution occurred leading into Clark’s sophomore year of college. Through hours of conversation and on-court practice, Clark internalized the importance of not dwelling on the past, but instead focusing on the next play. She started to more fully understand the burden that came with being a star, and accepted responsibility in adverse moments, even if her teammates were more to blame.
Clark struggled, at times, in the first half against the Huskies. Her annoyance was visible. With 6:48 to play in the second quarter, she threw a pass that Huskies forward Aaliyah Edwards stole and turned into a layup. Iowa called timeout, and Clark, with Iowa trailing by nine, flipped her hands open in disgust, then rolled her eyes before entering the Hawkeyes huddle.
Failing to find any scoring rhythm, Clark missed a 3-pointer in the first half. After the halftime buzzer sounded she attempted two halfcourt shots and missed them, too. It was that kind of 20 minutes for Clark and Iowa, who shot only 37.8 percent in the first half.
Yet Clark’s development was apparent against UConn, when she flushed away her first-half performance. It’s something her teammates and coaches say wouldn’t have happened as a freshman for Clark. “To stay grounded like that and to lead them to and to hit big shots. Tremendous growth,” associate head coach Jan Jensen said. “Tremendous growth from that freshman year to now.”
Clark sank her first 3-pointer with 8:09 to play in the third quarter, and she eventually scored seven points in the frame as the crowd came to life. A moment with 35 seconds remaining in the frame was as instructive as any other.
Clark found junior Sydney Affolter streaking up the floor in transition, but Affolter blew her layup attempt, failing to hit rim. Clark didn’t sulk or stare Affolter down. Instead, Clark remained steady, poised and jogged back on defense. Seconds later, the third quarter ended tied. “I think she did a great job of not letting anything get to her,” Iowa guard Gabbie Marshall said.
There was plenty that could have rattled Clark. Nika Mühl played physical defense, often picking up Clark beyond halfcourt. Clark’s body slammed to the court on multiple drives to the basket, though she remained undeterred and aggressive when attacking.
Whew lord the Huskies are playing defense
Nika Muhl is putting on a masterclass in denial and mirroring pic.twitter.com/G80Mxkcdrl
— Mark Schindler (@MG_Schindler) April 6, 2024
Friday’s win lacked an emphatic Clark 3-point bomb. Still, with 3.9 seconds to play in regulation, and Iowa leading by a point, Clark let out a yell and pumped her fist in delight when Edwards was whistled for an offensive foul.
As Clark strode off the court, with the victory sealed, both her arms shot toward the ceiling and she clapped her hands in delight. A rematch was set against South Carolina, which Iowa beat in the Final Four last season. Afterward, Bluder approached her star guard as their victory started to sink in. “I’m just so proud of the way you stayed level-headed and led this team,” Bluder told Clark.
Clark will have one more chance to put on her No. 22 jersey, stay poised and try to lead the Hawkeyes to a national championship.
