With undefeated South Carolina jolted onto an unfamiliar backfoot, coach Dawn Staley looked toward her bench to remedy an early 11-point deficit — more specifically, she looked toward Tessa Johnson.
The freshman guard outshone her six-point scoring average all tournament long was a revelation in relief for the Gamecocks. With a team high 19 points and three triples, Johnson led South Carolina to a slim halftime lead and a dominant third quarter, helping the Gamecocks claim their second national title in three years 87-75 and cap off a perfect season.
Clark quickly proved her Rust Belt rust was no more in Cleveland, as after a slow start in Friday’s national semifinal the Hawkeye megastar was nearly flawless to start against South Carolina.
The role players were rolling from the opening tip, as Kate Martin and Sydney Affolter gave Iowa a quick 7-0 lead, but Clark has scored Iowa’s last 13 from all over the court. The newly crowned AP Player of the Year drained a pair of 3s, was fouled on two more attempts and converted at the rim to give her Hawkeyes a 20-9 lead by the first media timeout.
CAITLIN CLARK TRACKER: CBB legend completes historic…
