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Caitlin Clark (22) of the Iowa Hawkeyes shoots the ball during the second half against the LSU Tigers in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at MVP Arena on April 01, 2024 in Albany, New York. Andy Lyons, Getty Images/AFP

ALBANY, NEW YORK - APRIL 01: Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes shoots the ball during the second half against the LSU Tigers in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at MVP Arena on April 01, 2024 in Albany, New York.   Andy Lyons/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by ANDY LYONS / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Article (news)

LSU v Iowa

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1712471417343040324_Caitlin Clark_AFP.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Caitlin Clark (22) of the Iowa Hawkeyes shoots the ball during the second half against the LSU Tigers in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Women&#x27;s Basketball Tournament at MVP Arena on April 01, 2024 in Albany, New York. Andy Lyons, Getty Images/AFP"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Caitlin Clark (22) of the Iowa Hawkeyes shoots the ball during the second half against the LSU Tigers in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Women&#x27;s Basketball Tournament at MVP Arena on April 01, 2024 in Albany, New York. <em>Andy Lyons, Getty Images/AFP</em></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">LOS ANGELES -- Caitlin Clark aims to crown her historic college basketball career with a national championship on Sunday when her University of Iowa team takes on South Carolina in the climax to March Madness.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The 22-year-old scoring phenomenon has emerged as a fully-fledged sporting icon during Iowa&#x27;s journey to Sunday&#x27;s showpiece, with her dazzling performances attracting sellout crowds and shattering television rating records.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Most analysts have the undefeated South Carolina as heavy favorites to clinch the National Collegiate Athletic Association title when they face Clark and the Hawkeyes in Cleveland.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">A loss would be Clark&#x27;s second straight defeat in the championship game following last year&#x27;s loss to Louisiana State University.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Irrespective of the result, Clark will walk away from Sunday&#x27;s game and her college career with the world at her feet.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/4/3/clark-iowa-s-epic-win-sets-us-women-s-basketball-tv-ratings-record-1602"></a><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/4/3/clark-iowa-s-epic-win-sets-us-women-s-basketball-tv-ratings-record-1602">READ: Clark, Iowa&#x27;s epic win sets US women&#x27;s basketball TV ratings record</a></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/4/6/iowa-takes-south-carolina-in-us-ncaa-championship-game-1250"></a><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/4/6/iowa-takes-south-carolina-in-us-ncaa-championship-game-1250">READ: Clark-led Iowa takes on South Carolina in US NCAA championship game</a></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">She will be chosen by the Indiana Fever with the No.1 pick in the WNBA Draft later this month, and is also a contender to be handed a place in the United States team for the Paris Olympics.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Blue-chip sponsors are scrambling to align their brands behind the &quot;Caitlin Clark Effect&quot;, virtually ensuring the young guard will be set for life financially before she even sets foot on a WNBA court.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Clark&#x27;s rocketing fame has extended beyond the usual parameters of US college basketball, garnering international attention that has been compared to pop icon Taylor Swift.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><strong>- Global impact -</strong></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">A recent headline in The Times of London stated that Clark &quot;could be the world&#x27;s most influential athlete&quot;.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Clark has forged her reputation through her on-court genius, a deadly three-point sharpshooter akin to the NBA&#x27;s Stephen Curry.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">This year, in her final regular season game, she eclipsed Pete Maravich&#x27;s 54-year-old all-time college basketball scoring record -- a mark many felt would never be beaten.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;It&#x27;s hard to wrap my head around having an impact globally. That&#x27;s my goal and my dream and what I want to do,&quot; Clark said in a recent interview.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;It&#x27;s super cool to see who we have an impact on in our state and also in our country, but certainly around the world, too.&quot;</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">When Clark scored 41 points to help Iowa beat the LSU Tigers last Monday, a record North American audience of 12.3 million tuned in.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">That&#x27;s a bigger audience than any Major League Baseball game in more than a year, and larger than every National Hockey League game since the 1971 Stanley Cup.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">While Clark&#x27;s trademark has been her remarkable long-range shooting prowess, her coaches and team-mates speak about her maturity and high basketball IQ.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;Everybody&#x27;s defensive plan is to stop her and nobody has been able to figure out really how to do it,&quot; Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. &quot;She has faced every kind of defense. She really knows how to pick them apart. It&#x27;s pretty amazing.&quot;</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><strong>- Humble temperament -</strong></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Bluder is more impressed by Clark&#x27;s temperament, painting a picture of a grounded young athlete who has not let fame and fortune go to her head.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;When you&#x27;re 22 and getting this kind of attention, these kind of (sponsor) deals, it&#x27;s hard to keep your head on straight,&quot; Bluder said.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;It takes a great amount of maturity, of parental support, but I think also it&#x27;s her ability to be humble and laugh at herself.&quot;</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Golden State Warriors star Curry meanwhile, whose own three-point expertise has helped revolutionize the NBA, says there is much more to Clark&#x27;s game than three-pointers.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;I&#x27;ve been watching from afar and understanding just how much of a power she is out there on the court,&quot; Curry said in an interview with CBS last month.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;The cool part is the way that she plays. Her range, and the level of difficulty on her shots is obviously a very close comparison to the way that I play. But I think it almost robs her of the rest of her game because she&#x27;s such a good floor general; she has her overall floor game.&quot;</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Last year, Clark starred as Iowa stopped an unbeaten South Carolina team in the semi-final.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/04/03/23/lsu-downs-iowa-for-first-ncaa-womens-basketball-crown"></a><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/04/03/23/lsu-downs-iowa-for-first-ncaa-womens-basketball-crown">READ: Louisiana State downs Iowa for first NCAA women&#x27;s basketball crown</a></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Iowa fans will hope Clark&#x27;s sharpshooting and leadership qualities can carry her team to another upset over all-conquering South Carolina.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Clark is determined to sign off in style.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;Being in this moment before gives our group a good understanding of what to expect,&quot; she said after Friday&#x27;s final four win over Connecticut.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">&quot;We know what South Carolina brings to the table and we&#x27;re going to have our hands full. But it&#x27;s the national championship, it&#x27;s the last game of my career, and it&#x27;s the last game for five people on this team. I don&#x27;t think motivation will be hard to come by.&quot;</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;text-align:justify;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:10pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></span></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>Caitlin Clark aims to crown her historic college basketball career with a national championship on Sunday when her University of Iowa team takes on South Carolina in the climax to March Madness.</p>

Caitlin Clark aims to crown her historic college basketball career with a national championship on Sunday when her University of Iowa team takes on South Carolina in the climax to March Madness.

Clark eyes fairytale farewell in college basketball final

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Clark eyes fairytale farewell in college basketball final

Agence France-Presse,

Rob Woollard

Published Apr 07, 2024 10:30 PM PHT

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basketball

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Iowa

South Carolina

Caitlin Clark

Dawn Staley

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