CLEVELAND (AP) — Caitlin Clark had a first half to forget as UConn’s swarming defense held Iowa’s superstar to just six points and no 3-pointers — her first time failing to make a 3 in the first half of an NCAA Tournament game — in the teams’ Final Four matchup on Friday night.
The Division I all-time leading scorer made her first shot, a layup, before missing her next five. Many of those came from her signature logo range, but they harmlessly fell off the rim each time. She finally hit a driving layup midway through the second quarter.
UConn players picked Clark up the entire length of the court each time Iowa had possession, making life difficult for Clark, who hasn’t scored fewer than 21 points in a game this season.
She barely got any open shots and at times looked frustrated. Iowa’s coaches kept shouting words of encouragement to their generational player.
Clark finished the half 3 of 11 from the field, including missing all six of her 3-point attempts.
Even though she wasn’t scoring, Clark kept the Hawkeyes in the game with six rebounds and four assists as the Hawkeyes trailed 32-26 at the break.
Clark’s record-setting season in which she became the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer turned every appearance by the pony-tailed shooting guard with the Steph Curry-like range appointment viewing.
A record 12.3 million people watched the Hawkeyes earn a measure of revenge over Angel Reese and defending national champion in LSU in the Elite Eight on Monday night, a year removed from the Tigers’ win over Iowa in the national title game that served as the launching pad for Clark’s stardom.
Even when the action stopped, Clark’s work did not. She’s been a fixture during commercial breaks in the tournament, hawking everything from insurance to sports drinks thanks to new name, image and likeness rules that have allowed her to cash in on her fame in a way her predecessors never could.
The Hawkeyes took the floor on Friday night with a sea of fans clad in black and yellow cheering them on, many of them wearing shirts or jerseys with Clark’s No. 22, a number she chose not out of inspiration but because she was born on Jan. 22 couldn’t come up with anything else.
The Clark effect was everywhere inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. ESPN pulled out all the stops, including offering an alternate telecast option for viewers featuring Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi and stuffing the building with 43 cameras. Tickets just to get in the door started at $300 on the secondary market and soared well into four figures.
___
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket/ and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
