Caitlin Clark set the sporting world ablaze Tuesday night by sinking a game-winning 3-point shot that gave her fourth-ranked Iowa team a hard-fought, 76-73 win against Michigan State.
CAITLIN CLARK DOES IT AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/pKY51gwSwB
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) January 3, 2024
While everybody on social media was gushing about yet another remarkable moment from Clark, Dawn Staley — head coach of the undefeated, top-ranked University of South Carolina women's basketball team — had a gripe with how the referees handled a controversial call before Clark made her shot.
Seconds after Clark's shot heard around the country found nothing but net, Staley posted on X, "Heckava shot but give the game ball to the ref for the shooting foul call ????????????."
Heckava shot but give the game ball to the ref for the shooting foul call. ???????????????
— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) January 3, 2024
Some who saw Staley's post on social media were initially confused about what the Gamecocks coach was referring to. But those who'd been watching the game live knew she was alluding to the questionable 3-point shooting foul that allowed Molly Davis to sink two free throws and give Iowa a 73-71 lead.
While Davis getting hip-checked behind the 3-point line with 30 seconds in the game was clearly a foul, it was also obvious that Davis was about to begin dribbling when the foul occurred. Therefore, most viewers — including Staley — believed Davis should not have been awarded a shooting foul and received three free throws.
While the shooting foul did ultimately set the stage for Clark's game-winning 3-pointer, it doesn't take away from the magical shot that Clark drained.
Although Clark didn't have the most efficient game against Michigan State — she scored 40 points on 14-of-34 shooting, including 8-of-20 from 3-point range — the projected first overall pick of the 2024 WNBA Draft always seems to produce when it matters most.
Unfortunately, Clark's Iowa team and Staley's South Carolina squad aren't slated to face each other during the regular season, as they play in separate conferences. Yet, considering that Iowa and South Carolina are two of the top four teams in the country, there appears to be a solid chance that we'll see these two schools face off in the women's NCAA March Madness tournament in a couple months — perhaps even meeting in the Final Four, on Friday, April 5.
Seeing Staley's game plan to try to stop Clark would be a dream come true for basketball fans.
