Caitlin Clark ends Iowa career with 30 points in title-game loss – Orange County Register

CLEVELAND — Caitlin Clark’s singular college career ended with a slew of records, but not the one title she hoped to bring to Iowa.

The NCAA’s all-time leading scorer scored a season-high 30 points in Sunday’s national championship against undefeated South Carolina, including a game-high 18 in the first quarter.

The 22-year-old calmed down a bit from there, however, as the Gamecocks pulled away for an 87-75 victory, making the Hawkeyes the national runner-up for a second straight season.

Clark made 10 of 28 shots – including 5 of 13 from 3-point range – and finished his four-year stay in Iowa City, Iowa with 3,951 points, an NCAA record for both men and women. Clark added five assists and eight rebounds.

Her participation in a second consecutive NCAA final helped turn the women’s tournament into a television event. Her performances set a new television audience record for women’s college basketball twice in the last week alone, with another record likely waiting after the title game.

Clark has tried to take her burgeoning stardom in stride, often diverting much of the attention to her Iowa teammates and a sport that’s having a moment.

“I personally want to thank Caitlin Clark for improving our sport,” Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said. “She carried a heavy load for our sport. …Caitlin Clark, if you’re out there, you’re one of the GOATs of our game. We appreciate you.

She always had the full attention of opposing coaches. And South Carolina’s depth proved too much in front of a packed Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

It’s not for lack of trying. This is never the case with Clark.

She fired, scoring 18 of Iowa’s final 20 points in the first quarter as the Hawkeyes took an early 27-20 lead. The Gamecocks used multiple defenders to try to keep up with Clark. It didn’t seem to matter. She knocked down three 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes, including a rainbow over South Carolina’s 6-foot-7 center Kamilla Cardoso.