DALLAS — Caitlin Clark tossed the basketball high into the air as the clock ticked down, gave a huge shoutout to her adoring fans, then took off on a gleeful gallop around the court.
In the biggest game of her life, the dazzling point guard from Iowa had done it all: poured in 41 points to set a record for the highest-scoring individual performance in an NCAA tournament semifinal, ended the perfect season of South Carolina and, most importantly, put her Hawkeyes into the championship game.
Clark overwhelmed last season’s national champions with another sensational show from start to finish, helping Iowa stop the Gamecocks’ 42-game winning streak, 77-73 on Friday night in the Final Four.
“We had nothing to lose. I have all the confidence in the world in this group, and they believe right back in me, and that’s all you need,” Clark said. “All we do is believe in one another, and we love each other to death, and that’s what a true team is. If you want an example of a team, that’s what this is.”
The spectacular 6-foot junior became the first player to post back-to-back 40-point performances in the NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament. She now has the Big Ten’s Hawkeyes (31-6) in a spot they’ve never been in before — one victory away from a national championship.