Iowa guard Caitlin Clark (22) shoots over South Carolina guard Bree Hall (23) during the first half of the Final Four college basketball championship game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
CLEVELAND – Caitlin Clark’s final NCAA game is off a record-setting start.
The Iowa superstar scored 18 of the Hawkeyes’ 27 points during the first quarter on Sunday as Iowa opened a seven-point lead over unbeaten South Carolina in the national championship game.
The NCAA’s all-time leading scorer’s first-quarter total was the most ever in a single quarter during a title game. LSU’s Jasmine Carlson set the previous record of 16 points in the second quarter of the Tigers’ win over Iowa in last year’s title game.
The NCAA went to a quarter system in 2016.
The Gamecocks used multiple defenders to try to keep up with Clark. It didn’t seem to matter. She knocked down three 3-pointers in the opening 10 minutes, including a rainbow over 6-foot-7 South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso.
Clark’s teammates scored the first seven points of the quarter. She took care of the rest, scoring 18 of Iowa’s final 20.
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