CLEVELAND – Gabbie Marshall knew it immediately.
The moment she ran into UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards, Marshall knew she moved and that an illegal screen should be called.
Just moments later it was and with three seconds left on the clock, and Iowa clinging to a one-point lead, the game was all but sealed. Iowa beat UConn 71-69 and is now preparing for its second straight national championship game, while UConn is going home in heartbreaking fashion.
All Marshall, who has made big defensive stops for Iowa all year, could do is rejoice.
“I was so happy and excited,” Marshall said. “I knew in my mind that it was. It was her third moving screen of the game, we knew it was a huge moment.”
Nominating this GIF for Best Short Film at the next Oscars. Geno’s reaction in the foreground + Gabbie Marshall in the background = Cinema pic.twitter.com/kf30903io2
— Ella Brockway (@ellabrockway) April 6, 2024
In a game that was touted as Iowa’s Caitlin Clark versus UConn’s Paige Bueckers, two of the last three national players of the year, the result was about much more than them.
Bueckers finished with 17 points on 7-of-17 shooting. Clark had 21 points on 7-of-18 shooting, but neither team would’ve been in the game if their stars alone were the only people to show up.
The…
