CLEVELAND — A video of South Carolina’s Raven Johnson being waved off by Iowa’s Caitlin Clark went viral after last year’s Final Four. The Gamecocks ended an incredible season with a 77-73 loss, and Johnson rewatched the game over 100 times.
Now, she will get to play in the same matchup again.
“Yeah, Iowa was the I was looking forward to playing. Luckily, it’s the national championship,” Johnson said. “There is no better way, beating a team that beat you last year, well, hopefully, beating the team that beat you last year, that is a good feeling.”
Last year’s loss meant South Carolina fell short of making history as an undefeated champion — something only nine teams have ever achieved in women’s basketball. But the loss was also very personal for Johnson, who couldn’t make herself shoot that particular 3-pointer despite the fact that Clark was standing 10 feet away in the viral clip. It hurt so much that Johnson even considered quitting basketball.
“I remember being in my room just crying every day. I remember watching that game over and over and over to the point where people were like, ‘can you stop watching that game.'” Johnson said. “I was like, ‘I can’t. I just can’t.'”
Johnson, it should…
