South Carolina has achieved perfection. The Gamecocks played their final game of the 2023-24 season, and finished 38-0 as national champions. The Gamecocks are the first undefeated champions since UConn in 2016.

Dawn Staley’s squad defeated Iowa 87-75 in a battle of 1 seeds for the Women’s NCAA Tournament championship game. The Hawkeyes got out to a 10-0 lead in the 1st quarter, but South Carolina chipped away and went ahead before the half and outlasted every Iowa rally in the 2nd half.

Here are 3 quick takeaways on South Carolina’s big win:

It all started on the glass

South Carolina dominated the glass, winning the rebound battle 51-29 in Sunday’s championship game. Kamilla Cardoso accounted for a career-high 17 rebounds.

When Iowa had the ball, the Hawkeyes managed just 7 offensive rebounds to South Carolina’s 33 defensive boards.

Offensively, the Gamecocks were the better shooting team. South Carolina shot 48% from the field to Iowa’s 40%, and  grabbed 18 offensive rebounds in the process. When it came to second-chance points, South Carolina won the battle 30-16.

It’s no secret that Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes like to shoot the 3-ball. The Gamecocks finished as the more efficient team from beyond the arc, making 8-of-19 (42%) to the Hawkeyes’ 9-of-23 (39%).

Caitlin Clark was going to get her share of points, but the Gamecocks kept it from being a Clark Takeover game

There’s no shutting down Caitlin Clark, but South Carolina effectively contained the Iowa superstar for 3 of 4 quarters.

When Iowa jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the opening minutes without a Clark score, it looked like the Gamecocks might be in for a long day.

Clark, of course, was going to score. She made it a 10-0 game in the 1st quarter, which she ended up dominating with 18 points to give Iowa a 27-20 lead.

After Clark’s sensational 1st quarter, the Gamecocks were able to contain the sport’s scoring leader.

Over the final 3 quarters, Clark shot just 5-of-20 from the field, including 2-of-9 from 3-point range. Clark finished with 30 points, but at 10-of-28 shooting, South Carolina’s defense won the matchup.

Bench contributors made the difference

Dawn Staley takes pride in her team’s deep rotation. South Carolina’s depth was the difference on Sunday.

With a rotation of 9, South Carolina figured to win the bench-scoring battle. Still, no one expected the final tally to be 37-0 when it came to bench scoring.

Tessa Johnson and MiLaysia Fulwiley were two of South Carolina’s top reserve contributors.

Johnson led the Gamecocks with 19 points. Playing 25 minutes, Johnson was 7-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-6 from 3-point territory. Johnson added 4 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 assist.

Fulwiley was key in the early going to keep up with Iowa. She scored 7 points in the 1st quarter on 3-of-4 shooting from the field, including a triple. She finished with 9 points, along with 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 block over 18 minutes.