Caitlin Clark fans bombard Dawn Staley's reaction to JuJu Watkins-led USC's win vs. Paige Bueckers' UConn

By John Ezekiel Hirro

Modified Dec 23, 2024 01:59 GMT

Follow Us

Share

1 Discuss

Dawn Staley marveled at the spectacle of women’s basketball on Saturday as the JuJu Watkins-led USC Trojans secured a thrilling 72-70 victory over Paige Bueckers’ UConn. However, fans of Caitlin Clark flooded the Gamecocks coach’s post, suggesting her praise may have been misplaced.

USC controlled the game early, at one point holding an 18-point lead. UConn, however, mounted a fierce comeback, starting with a 20-13 third quarter, making it a nail-biter in the closing moments as Bueckers and Sarah Strong led the Huskies’ charge.

In the final seconds, Strong had opportunities to extend the game and win it at the buzzer but couldn’t convert. After the game, Staley shared her reaction to the classic matchup in a concise four-word post:

“Say it along with me…..THANK YOU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL!!!”

Several Caitlin Clark fans responded in the comments, asserting that the former Iowa star and current Indiana Fever standout deserved the credit.

Caitlin Clark fans bombard Dawn Staley's reaction to JuJu Watkins-led USC's win vs. Paige Bueckers' UConn

Other fans shared their admiration for women’s basketball, with some suggesting it has surpassed men’s basketball in excitement.

“I would never thought I'd say this...but it's better than men's basketball right now,” one said.

“I used to never watch women's basketball, but now NCAAW and WNBA are the first two things I check out. CC got me started but I also got hooked on the games,” another said.

“WBB is literally saving the planet,” another added.

Analyst likens Caitlin Clark to Steph Curry, Paige Bueckers to LeBron James

In an episode of “The Elle Duncan Show” earlier this month, Elle Duncan and cohost Gary Striewski examined the unique appeal of Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers and their transformative influence on the sport.

Duncan likened the rivalry between Clark and Bueckers to the dynamic between NBA icons Steph Curry and LeBron James.

“Steph and Caitlin are much more similar. And I would say that Paige and LeBron are much more similar in terms of efficiency, the defensive part of it, like the well-roundedness of the game. But that doesn't take away from the legacy player that Steph is.” she said (10:00 mark).

“And I think similarly what Steph was able to do, which is what Caitlin's been able to do for a lot of young girls is they see themselves in her. You don't have to be 6-foot-8. You don't have to look — you know, Caitlin's as athletic as they come — but you don't have to look necessarily the part”

In their last college matchup, Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes edged out Bueckers’ UConn Huskies in a gripping Final Four showdown 71-69. Clark recorded 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, while Bueckers poured in 17 points.