Upsets, victories, tears, excitement — those are just some of the words to describe the women's March Madness Tournament that concluded on Sunday. Following over two weeks of nonstop action, America finally found its winner. Sitting on top of the throne was Dawn Staley and South Carolina women's basketball. The Gamecocks overcame Caitlin Clark's 30-point night to carve out an 87-75 win over Iowa women's basketball. Staley, in particular, just won her third national championship as a head coach. Her feat garnered admiration from many, LeBron James included.
Going on X (Twitter) James gave praise to Staley in the aftermath of South Carolina's title clincher.
“Protect Dawn Staley at all costs!” he posted. “No ifs, ands or buts!”
Protect Dawn Staley AT ALL COST!! No if, ands or buts! 🔒🫡
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 7, 2024
Staley led the Gamecocks to a perfect 38-0 season despite losing all her starters from last year's squad to the WNBA. Even during the regular season, South Carolina proved that they were the team to beat with constant double-digit wins. Once the postseason ensued, the dominance continued. The number-one-seeded team cruised through most of their opponents, with their Sweet 16 matchup being the only close outing throughout the tournament.
Following South Carolina's Final Four blowout over NC State, the team had to wait and see who would emerge from the other side. Hours later, Iowa defeated UConn, setting up a rematch that stemmed from last year's March Madness. Back in 2023, a Caitlin Clark-led Hawkeyes team eliminated South Carolina in the Final Four, robbing Staley of a back-to-back finals appearance (South Carolina won the title in 2022). Fast forward to Friday and the Gamecocks showed that they were ready for another slugfest against Iowa.
Dawn Staley and South Carolina reign supreme once again
Star center Kamilla Cardoso finished with a monster double-double of 15 points and 17 rebounds while Tessa Johnson led the scoring off the bench with 19 points to bring the title back to the Palmetto State. It wasn't a walk in the park, however. South Carolina had to overcome a first-quarter deficit to get themselves back in the game.
Iowa went on a 10-0 run to begin the clash with Clark and Kate Martin leading the way. At the end of the first quarter, the Hawkeyes were up 27-20. It was then that South Carolina responded. Behind Kardoso and Johnson, the Gamecocks outscored their opponents 29-19 in the second quarter. Dawn Staley's squad got their first taste of the lead at the 4:58 mark (of the second) and by halftime, South Carolina held on to a three-point advantage — a lead that they would continue to extend in the final 20 minutes.
The Gamecocks again outscored Iowa in the third and the fourth to finish strong and cement themselves as the nation's top team. Besides Kardoso and Johnson, South Carolina also received contributions from Te-Hina Paopao and Chloe Kitts, both of whom finished the game with double-digit points (14 and 11, respectively). In addition, Raven Johnson's defense on Clark played a big part in South Carolina's win. While Clark finished with 30 points, she went 10-of-28 (35.7%) from the floor.
As the final buzzer sounded, Staley was visibly in tears after completing her redemption tour. Throughout the past three seasons, South Carolina women's basketball amassed a 109-3 record. They might be losing Cardoso to the WNBA this year, but looking at what Staley was able to accomplish with an entirely new-look team, the Gamecocks are expected to have another brilliant campaign this coming season.
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