Caitlin Clark gave the performance of her life and let her opponents know it Sunday night as Iowa outscored Louisville 97-83 to advance to the Women’s Final Four for the second time in school history.
Clark became the first to record a 40-point triple-double in a men’s or women’s game of the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament. He scored 41 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field with 12 assists, 10 rebounds and nine steals. After making the sixth of his eight 3-pointers, he took a page from John Cena’s manual and made his trademark taunt: «You can’t see me.»
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Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, left, looks to pass the ball against Louisville guard Morgan Jones, center, and forward Olivia Cochran during the first half of an NCAA Tournament Elite 8 college basketball game, Sunday, May 26. March 2023, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
No one could see Clark or protect her.
«I dreamed of this moment as a kid, taking a team to the Final Four and being in these moments and having confetti fall on me,» she said.
Iowa will play the winner of South Carolina and Maryland. Those two teams play Monday night with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
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«I thought our team played great. That’s what it’s all about. I was going to give it everything I had,» Clark added. «When I came here, I said I wanted to take this program to the Final Four, and all you have to do is dream. And all you have to do is believe and work hard to get there. That’s what I did, and That’s what our girls did and that’s what our coaches did and we’re going to Dallas, honey.»
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark displays the trophy as she celebrates after an NCAA Tournament Elite 8 college basketball game against Louisville, Sunday, March 26, 2023, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Caean Couto)
Iowa hasn’t been to the Final Four since C. Vivian Stringer was on the bench coaching the Hawkeyes in 1993. Before Sunday, Iowa had only been to one other Elite Eight, in 2019.
«It’s like a storybook, it’s been like that all year,» Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. «We keep talking about destiny and how it’s supposed to happen… She’s spectacular. I don’t know how else to describe what she does on the basketball court. A 40-point triple-double against Louisville to go to the Final Four Are you kidding? That’s mind blowing.»
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Iowa players, including guard Caitlin Clark, center front, forward Hannah Stuelke, left front, and guard Kate Martin, #20, celebrate after an NCAA Tournament Elite 8 basketball game against Louisville on Sunday March 26, 2023, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Caean Couto)
The next milestone for Clark would be reaching the 1000 career point mark. She sits at 984 points. Former Iowa star Megan Gustafson, along with Maddy Siegrist, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Stiles and Odyssey Sims, reached the total. Siegrist did it for Villanova this year.
Associated Press contributed to this report.