The great talent Caitlin Clark lost the last basketball game of her college career and missed the championship with the Iowa Hawkeyes in the final against the South Carolina Gamecocks. In Cleveland her team lost 75:87 on Sunday. The 22-year-old, who has already earned several million US dollars thanks to advertising deals and is also praised by stars from the NBA for her skills, is switching to professional sports next season.
There she will most likely end up with the Indiana Fever from the WNBA. “It’s difficult to win something like this. Few people know this better than me. Being so close twice hurts,” said Clark after another strong game with 30 points. She had already lost the final with Iowa last year.
“You are one of the best”
Against South Carolina she scored 18 points in the first quarter alone, something that had never happened before in a final game for the US championship, according to US media. Clark also holds almost all relevant college records. Nobody has scored more points (3951) at this level – but she failed to win the title. It would have been Iowa’s first championship.
“I would like to personally thank Caitlin Clark for improving our sport,” Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said at the awards ceremony. “She has shouldered a lot of weight for our sport. It will also improve the league (the WNBA). Caitlin Clark, if you’re out there: You’re one of the best in our sport. We appreciate you.”
A comment from Anno Hecker Published/Updated: Recommendations: 5 Jürgen Kalwa, New York Published/Updated: Recommendations: 2 Frank Heike, Hamburg Published/Updated: Recommendations: 3
Clark had attracted so much attention with her achievements in the past few weeks that even NBA professionals preferred to watch the college games with Iowa’s number 22 on their tablets after their own games rather than take a quick shower. With the victory, South Carolina became only the tenth team without a single loss in the season to win the title. It is the third US championship for the women’s team from the university of the same name. Only four other colleges have previously achieved this.
