Following South Carolina‘s 87-75 win over Iowa to win the national championship on Sunday, coach Dawn Staley had a special message for the team she had just defeated.
While celebrating on the stage in the middle of the floor following the game, Staley was afforded the chance to make one last comment by ESPN’s Holly Rowe. And, boy, did she deliver.
“I really would just like to say that I have to congratulate Iowa on an incredible season,” Staley said. “Awesome. Awesome. And I want to personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport. She carried a heavy load for our sport and it just is not going to stop here on the collegiate tour, but when she is the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft, she’s going to lift that league up as well.”
Clark was excellent in the national championship game, bursting out of the gates by scoring 18 points in the first quarter. South Carolina got a better handle on her as the game went on, and fatigue seemed to wear on Clark late as she had to work hard for every look.
The superstar, who became the all-time leading scorer in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, chipped in 30 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the loss.
Staley left no ambiguity about Clark’s place in the game.
“So Caitlin Clark, if you’re out there, you are one of the GOATs of our game,” Dawn Staley said. “We appreciate you.”
Caitlin Clark sets NCAA Tournament scoring record
Nailing a 3-pointer over South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso in the waning moments of the first quarter of the national championship game, Caitlin Clark made history once again.
Scoring her 18th point in the opening 10 minutes, the Iowa superstar became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Tournament history with 480, passing former Tennessee guard Chamique Holdsclaw’s record of 479 points set during her career from 1995-1999.
Clark can add this to her laundry list of accolades, which includes her being the all-time leading scorer in NCAA history.
Speaking of championships, the record Clark broke was set by Holdsclaw in 1996, 1997 and 1998 as the Lady Vols became the first-ever women’s basketball program to win three consecutive NCAA Championships.
On3’s Barkley Truax also contributed to this report.
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