SEATTLE — The last time Caitlin Clark and Hailey Van Lith shared the floor together was in Bangkok, Thailand. As members of the USA Basketball U19 team, they competed in one of the wildest finishes either one can remember.
Trailing by three against Australia with 17 seconds to play and without possession, their teammate Rhyne Howard took an elbow to the face, drawing an unsportsmanlike foul. Their U.S. head coach, Jeff Walz, brought in Clark off the bench to take the free throws. Clark made 1 of 2, and Van Lith scored a bucket on the ensuing out-of-bounds play to tie the game. The Americans ended up winning in overtime to earn the gold medal, the young duo helping the U.S. team snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Four years later, they suit up on opposite teams, but the stakes are no less significant. Clark’s No. 2 seed Iowa takes on Van Lith’s No. 5 Louisville in Seattle on Sunday with a Final Four berth on the line. Both former gold-medalists will be atop their opponent’s Sweet 16 scouting report, and the fiercely competitive guards will be at center stage of this Elite Eight showdown.
Caitlin Clark. Hailey Van Lith.
No. 2 Iowa vs. No. 5 Louisville.
A trip to the Final Four on the line. 🍿 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Wn99hcKLcv
