The keys that won South Carolina the 2024 women's NCAA title
CLEVELAND — As the final buzzer sounded, South Carolina completed its “revenge tour,” beating Iowa 87-75 to win the national championship and denying Caitlin Clark a title of her own. The highly anticipated rematch of last year’s national semifinals delivered drama, energy, intensity and, yes, lots of points from Clark. But it was South Carolina’s far deeper bench — and its new class of superstar freshmen — that made the difference this time around.
After Iowa kept South Carolina from winning a title a year ago, coach Dawn Staley completely retooled her team and did what many thought improbable to start the season: win a national championship with a completely new starting lineup.
For Iowa, the heartbreak is especially tough. The Hawkeyes lost in consecutive years in the national championship game, but this one also ends the careers of seniors Clark, Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall. On the other side, Staley wept as she celebrated the win.
ESPN’s Andrea Adelson, Katie Barnes, Charlie Creme and Jake Trotter break down how South Carolina won its second championship in three years and became the 10th Division I women’s basketball team to run the table.
What was key in South Carolina’s win?
South Carolina’s size advantage was a long-discussed possible X factor heading into this game. For good reason. It was huge. Eventually the Gamecocks wore down Iowa with their rebounding dominance and ability to contest so many shots because they were just bigger.
Down the line, the numbers tell the story: The rebound differential was 51-29, Kamilla Cardoso leading the way with 17. South Carolina had 30 second-chance points and 48 points in the paint. Cardoso also had three of the Gamecocks’ eight blocks. Iowa started quickly and Clark was great early, but the constant hounding by Raven Johnson and Bree Hall took its toll. Clark was only 3-of-13 in the second and third quarters and Iowa never got back to the lead that it had until the final minute of the first half.
Having Te-Hina Paopao and Tessa Johnson on this year’s team was also a huge difference from the South Carolina team that lost to Iowa in the national semifinals a year ago. The Gamecocks, who made just 4 of 20 3-pointers in that game, could now shoot. Senior Paopao and freshman Johnson, who scored a career-high 19 points Sunday, combined to shoot 6-of-10 from behind the arc and South Carolina, the third-most-accurate 3-point shooting team in the country this season, made 8-of-19 overall. — Creme
Where does South Carolina’s perfect season rank among the other Division I women’s teams that went undefeated and won a title?
South Carolina is the 10th team to have a perfect record, and the first in eight years. These seasons don’t come around often! It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where this team ranks, but to me the best ever was UConn 2001-02. This South Carolina team belongs in the conversation in the tier right after that, alongside Tennessee 1997-98 and UConn 2009-10.
To run the table in this era is nothing short of remarkable. The Gamecocks were dominant from start to finish, leading Division I in scoring margin this season. And South Carolina did all of that after graduating every starter from last year’s national championship runner-up team. No one expected them to be undefeated. They deserve all the credit for that. — Barnes
What surprised you the most about this game?
If you had told me Kamilla Cardoso would go 7-of-14 for 15 points in this game, I would have thought Iowa had a great chance to win. While South Carolina did dominate inside — with 48 paint points and a whopping 51-29 advantage on the boards — it wasn’t Cardoso who was the star of the game. It was Tessa Johnson. While Clark ended up with 30 points, she was ineffective beyond the third quarter. The Gamecocks were determined not to let her beat them in this matchup. — Adelson
Who was the most outstanding player?
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Tessa Johnson ties things up with a South Carolina 3
Kamilla Cardoso kicks it to Tessa Johnson who knocks down the 3-pointer for South Carolina.
Tessa Johnson came off the bench and erupted for a career-high 19 points. She led the way for the South Carolina subs, who outscored Iowa’s bench 37-0 — the biggest margin in a women’s national title game since at least 2000, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Before this tournament, Johnson had led South Carolina in scoring in only one game all year. But she paced the Gamecocks with 15 points in the Elite Eight win over Oregon State, then joined former South Carolina guard Destanni Henderson (26 points in 2022) as the only other players to set a career high in a national title game. And, oh yeah, Johnson is only a freshman. — Trotter
Who or what was another key X factor?
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South Carolina’s bench loves this Bree Hall 3
Bree Hall knocks down a 3-pointer and the South Carolina bench loves it.
Bree Hall said Saturday that she believed her team’s bench would be the difference in the game. She was right. The Gamecocks bench has been producing all season and when it mattered most it came through. It went beyond Johnson. MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 9; Ashlyn Watkins had five crucial rebounds. Over and over again, it became clear there was no way Iowa would be able to compete in this key area of the game. The Hawkeyes went in knowing they had a short bench and needed to rely on their starters to play nearly the entire game. It just wasn’t enough. — Adelson
What was the turning point of the final?
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Raven Johnson strips Caitlin Clark and gets the layup for South Carolina
Raven Johnson picks Caitlin Clark’s pocket and makes the layup before the half for South Carolina.
When the Gamecocks put Raven Johnson on Clark. In last year’s Final Four meeting, Clark waved off Johnson dribbling behind the 3-point line, leaving her completely unguarded. Instead of taking a wide-open shot, Johnson passed, which turned the moment viral and embarrassed the guard. On Sunday, Johnson completed, as she put it, her “revenge tour.”
After Clark set a women’s title game record with 18 points in the first quarter, Dawn Staley moved Johnson onto Clark. The rest of the way, mostly with Johnson guarding her, Clark scored only 12 points. All told, Clark went 3-of-11 from the field with Johnson as the primary defender. Johnson even swiped the ball from Clark at midcourt and dashed in for a layup just before halftime. Clark had to have a monster performance for Iowa to pull off the upset, but Johnson made sure that didn’t happen. — Trotter
What will be the legacy of Iowa?
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Caitlin Clark’s 3-pointer sets NCAA women’s basketball championship record
Caitlin Clark nails the 3-pointer to tally 18 points in the quarter, the most in a women’s NCAA basketball championship game.
Caitlin Clark and this group of Iowa Hawkeyes have literally changed the game for women’s basketball. From sellout crowds to record-high ratings, they have ensured nothing will be the same for the sport. Heck, “Saturday Night Live” finally made a funny women’s basketball joke! Though Iowa lost in back-to-back title games, the greatness of this team should not be forgotten. — Barnes
Looking ahead to next season, which team will open 2024-25 as No. 1 in the country?
South Carolina, coming off its second national championship in three years, will enter 2025 as the favorite to get to Tampa and again win it all. Cardoso will be gone but at this point she’s the only prominent Gamecock not returning, and Staley adds to the deep talent mix with a top-five recruiting class headlined by the No. 2 player in the class, 6-foot-2 Joyce Edwards, the co-MVP of the McDonald’s All American Game. Expect Tessa Johnson to become a star, Watkins to take on an even bigger role and Raven Johnson to be the team leader. — Creme
