Caitlin Clark had the performance of a lifetime and let her opponents know about it Sunday night as Iowa topped 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 an NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament game men’s or women’s. She scored 41 points on 11-of-19 from the field with 12 assists, 10 rebounds and nine steals. After making the sixth of her eight three-pointers, she took a page out of John Cena’s handbook and did his signature taunt – the “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 Elite 8 college basketball game of the NCAA Tournament, Sunday, March 26, 2023, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
Nobody could see Clark or guard her.
“I dreamed of this moment as a little girl, to take a team to the Final Four and be in these moments and have confetti fall down 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 really well. That’s what it’s all about. I was going to give it every single thing I had,” Clark added. “When I came here I said I wanted to take this program to the Final Four, and all you’ve got to do is dream. And all you’ve got to do is believe and work your butt off 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, baby.”
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark shows off the trophy as she celebrates after an Elite 8 college basketball game of the NCAA Tournament against Louisville, Sunday, March 26, 2023, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Caean Couto)
Iowa has not 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, been like that all year long,” 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 me? That’s mind-boggling.”
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Iowa players, including guard Caitlin Clark, front center, forward Hannah Stuelke, front left, and guard Kate Martin, #20, celebrate after an Elite 8 basketball game of the NCAA Tournament against Louisville, Sunday, March 26, 2023, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Caean Couto)
The next milestone for Clark would be hitting the 1,000-career points mark. She sits at 984 points. Former Iowa star Megan Gustafson along with Maddy Siegrist, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Stiles and Odyssey Sims, have hit the total. Siegrist did it for Villanova this year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
