Iowa defeated UConn 71-69 on Friday night to earn a spot in the national title game.

The Hawkeyes fell behind early and nearly gave the game away late, but ultimately came away victorious. They will now advance to face South Carolina in their second consecutive national championship game.

Here are 3 takeaways from Iowa’s win:

Iowa clawed back after a slow start

UConn got off to a fast start and ultimately led by as many as 12 points in the first half before the Hawkeyes started to claw back late in the 2nd period. Iowa got as close as 4 points in the final minute before the break, but ended up going into halftime trailing by 6.

It was a slow start for Clark and the Iowa offense. Clark scored just 6 points on 3-of-11 shooting and went 0-for-6 from deep in the first half as she dealt with UConn’s aggressive defense. As a team, Iowa shot just 11-of-29 from the field before the break.

However, UConn wasn’t great offensively either, which is a big reason why the Hawkeyes were able to keep things close at the half. Bueckers especially struggled, scoring just 7 points on 9 shots while turning it over twice. Bueckers eventually finished with 17 points on 7-of-17 shooting.

Dramatic finish

Clark, of course, rebounded in a big way in the second half. She finished with 21 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. She scored 15 of those points in the second half on just 7 field goal attempts.

Clark was also effective as a passer, particularly to forward Hannah Stuelke. Several of Clark’s assists went to Stuelke in the post. She scored 23 points on 12 shots, making her Iowa’s most-efficient offensive player in this game.

With a little bit more efficiency in the second half, Iowa was able to separate in the 4th quarter. Iowa scored 45 points in the second half on 16-of-30 shooting from the floor. The Hawkeyes led by as many as 9 points in the final stanza, but UConn found its way back into the game with a chance to win in the last few seconds.

Thanks to a pair of Iowa turnovers in the final minute, UConn had the ball with under 10 seconds remaining with a chance to take the lead. Instead, forward Aaliyah Edwards was whistled for an offensive foul. After Clark missed a free throw on Iowa’s ensuing possession, the Huskies were unable to get the rebound. That effectively ended the game.

Here’s a replay of the controversial moving screen call on Edwards:

Historic championship game

Iowa’s win means the Hawkeyes will face undefeated South Carolina in the championship game on Sunday afternoon.

This will be Iowa’s second straight appearance in the national title game. Last year, Iowa came up short in the final against LSU. The Hawkeyes will be looking for their first ever women’s basketball national championship.

A win would cement Clark as one of the all-time greats in women’s college basketball. Some would argue that she’s already near the top of the list after becoming the sport’s all-time leading scorer and leading Iowa to back-to-back national title games — but a win over the undefeated Gamecocks would erase any doubt.

For South Carolina, the Gamecocks are looking to become just the 4th-ever program to complete an undefeated national championship season. Texas, Tennessee, Baylor and UConn are the other programs to accomplish this feat.

To add another storyline to the pile, this is a revenge game for South Carolina after Iowa ended the Gamecocks’ undefeated season in the Final Four a year ago. South Carolina has gone 79-1 in its last 80 games, with its only loss coming to Clark and the Hawkeyes in the semifinals last season.

Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon.

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