CLEVELAND — Leave it to the softest-spoken player on the floor to take the biggest hit and woof the loudest just blocks from a location they call the Dawg Pound.
With her team leading by a point, Iowa guard Gabbie Marshall was on the receiving end of a moving screen that would have qualified as a football blind-side block. It came with 3.1 seconds left and took possession away from UConn. The Hawkeyes hit a free throw, ran out the clock and moved into their second straight national championship game with a 71-69 win Friday night, when they’ll face South Carolina for the title.
Or even in slow motion: pic.twitter.com/m4FH2GQtBN
— Shiloh Carder (@SportzAssassin) April 6, 2024
The timing made the call controversial, but UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards sprung into Marshall as the Iowa defender trailed Huskies guard Paige Bueckers. Marshall’s head snapped back, and she flew backward. After the whistle, UConn coach Geno Auriemma hunched over in anger while Marshall walked near the scorer’s table and shouted, “Let’s Go!”
It was a rare moment of exuberance from Marshall, who is in her fifth and final season at Iowa.
“I was hyped. I think I yelled into the crowd,” Marshall said with a laugh. “I was feeling all the emotions because I knew how big it was.”
“She’s…
