“It was a psychological advantage throughout the game”: When Dawn Staley made her feelings clear about loss vs Caitlin Clark’s Iowa
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley expressed what she felt after losing a heartbreaking 77-73 decision to the Caitlin Clark-led Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2023 NCAA women's basketball Final Four.
The Gamecocks were two wins away from recording a sweep of the 2022-23 season. They've been invincible in the first 36 games of the season, winning the SEC regular season and the SEC tournament.
South Carolina was seeded No. 1 in the 2023 NCAA Tournament and raced through the knockout phase, winning convincingly over Norfolk State, South Florida, UCLA and Maryland to arrange a Final Four clash with Clark and the Hawkeyes.
The Gamecocks went off flat, allowing Iowa to take a nine-point lead. South Carolina center Aliyah Boston compounded the situation, committing two quick fouls in the first quarter to force Staley to sit her out for the entire first half.
Although the Gamecocks reduced the lead to one in the second quarter, Clark ran rings around South Carolina's defense, scoring 41 points to help Iowa emerge victorious and secure a national championship clash with LSU.
Staley addressed the loss to Iowa in her guesting on "The Pivot Podcast" with hosts Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder on May 3, 2023, over a month after the defeat.
Although the Gamecocks coach didn't directly blame officiating as a big factor in their loss, Staley noted Boston was affected psychologically after she was charged with her second foul in the first period.
"Aliyah (Boston) addressed it after the game. She thought she wasn't able to play her game," Staley said. (29:20). "It was a psychological advantage throughout the game."
Boston was inserted back into the lineup in the third quarter and finished with eight points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block. Her teammate Brea Beal was fouled out while Laeticia Amihere and Kamilla Cardoso were called for three fouls.
Staley didn't elaborate on the officiating situation and blamed the three crucial turnovers the team committed in the payoff period as the main cause of the loss.
Dawn Staley looks at 2023 Final Four loss to Iowa positively
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley took the loss to Iowa in the 2023 Final Four positively and said it helped women's college basketball rise to relevance on national television.
Her major players, Aliyah Boston, Brea Beal, Zia Cooke, Laeticia Amihere and Victoria Saxton, moved on and entered the WNBA draft.
"Our downfall and not being able to complete the season was real good for our game, like, you know, 9.9 million people watch the game. It topped off at 13 million now," Staley said (30:22). "I can look at ourselves like we the sacrificial lambs of that happening, but it's good for our game and I'm okay with it."
A year later, the Gamecocks completed what the 2022-23 team failed to accomplish. The 2023-24 squad swept to a 38-0 season and won the team's third national championship with an 87-75 victory over Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes.