South Carolina went undefeated this season, and it was easy to see why while watching Sunday’s women’s NCAA Tournament championship game between the Gamecocks and Iowa Hawkeyes at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Gamecocks won 87-75 to capture their third national championship in school history. They were the much bigger team and completely overpowered Iowa.
6-foot-7 center Kamilla Cardoso had 15 points and a whopping 17 rebounds. Seven of her rebounds were on the offensive end, resulting in several extra chances for her Gamecocks that they converted. She also had three blocks.
Kamilla Cardoso, getting it done on both ends of the floor. pic.twitter.com/3mPCOoLbei
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) April 7, 2024
All together, South Carolina outrebounded Iowa 51-29. The Gamecocks had 18 offensive rebounds compared to 7 for the Hawkeyes.
South Carolina was the bigger, deeper and better team overall, and they proved it on Sunday. Iowa’s biggest chance of winning would have required star player Caitlin Clark to put together a 45-point game or so. Though she started off hot, Clark ultimately went cold for the final three quarters, and her Hawkeyes fell short of the championship for the second year in a row.
