Caitlin Clark made a high-IQ move involving Paige Bueckers toward the end of the Iowa-UConn game.
A questionable foul call late in the fourth quarter overshadowed Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark’s high IQ play, which helped Iowa defeat UConn 71-69 in the Final Four on Friday night.
With a two-point advantage and only 1.1 seconds remaining in the game, Clark lined up to inbound the ball, only to notice that her opponent, UConn player Paige Bueckers, had her back to her.
Clark took advantage, bouncing the ball off Bueckers’ back and shaving a whole second off the clock, thereby ruining the Huskies’ chances of a miraculous comeback.
At that moment, UConn’s odds of winning were small, but Clark’s improvisational play effectively guaranteed Iowa’s spot in the national championship game against undefeated South Carolina.
Following the game, Clark stated her reasons for the choice.
Clark, who was restricted to a personal NCAA Tournament-low 21 points, found a method to influence the game that would not appear on the box score.
As a result, the expected first-round choice in the WNBA draft will have one more chance to win a national title, which appears to be the only award remaining in her spectacular collegiate career.
Iowa entered as 6.5-point underdogs against the 37-0 Gamecocks in Sunday’s championship game.
