Iowa and UConn squared off in an instant-classic Final Four matchup Friday in Cleveland, with the Hawkeyes winning 71-69 to advance to their second consecutive national championship. A controversial call just before the final buzzer, though, was arguably as notable as the result.
Down one with nine seconds left, UConn had possession with a chance to send Caitlin Clark and Co. packing. The ball eventually got to Nika Muhl, who looked to pass it to Paige Bueckers with Aaliyah Edwards setting a screen to give Bueckers space on the perimeter. However, Edwards was called for an illegal screen on Gabbie Marshall, who rocked back upon contact to possibly help sell the call.
Iowa would then get Clark to the free throw line, where she drained her first attempt but missed the second -- only for Sydney Affolter to secure the offensive rebound and effectively end the game.
When asked about the potentially game-deciding call after the game, Bueckers -- who finished with an uncharacteristically quiet 17 points, four rebounds and three assists -- took the high road by downplaying its importance.
"Everybody can make a big deal of that one single play, but not one single play wins a basketball game or loses a basketball game," Bueckers said. " ... You can look at one play and say, 'That killed us' or 'that hurt us,' but we should've done a better job -- I should've done a better job -- of making sure we didn't leave the game up to chance like that and leave the game up to one bad call [not] going our way and that deciding it. Yeah, maybe that was a tough call for us, but I feel like I could've done a better job of preventing that from even happening."
UConn coach Geno Auriemma, meanwhile, was incensed in the moment then solelmly shared his thoughts on the call postgame.
"There's probably an illegal screen call that you could make on every single possession," he said. "I just know that there were three or four of them called on us and I don't think there were any called on them."
It wasn't just Auriemma griping about the situation. The controversial finish drew fiery reactions from across the women's basketball world and even the NBA and NFL. Here are the most notable figures to speak out.
LeBron James has seen countless high-pressure postseason finishes over his legendary NBA career, and he was not happy with how Friday's went down.
Angel Reese and Clark's relationship has been well-documented to say the least, but the LSU star insists they "don't hate each other." It seems Reese may have hated the Edwards call, though.
Colorado guard Jaylyn Sherrod fell to Clark and the Hawkeyes in the Sweet 16. Still, heartbreak over that loss didn't stop her from tuning into Friday's action, including a finish she could not believe.
Clark has declared for the 2024 WNBA Draft and will, barring something wildly unforeseen, go No. 1 overall to the Indiana Fever. With her on the precipice of the pros, WNBA stars had all eyes on the Final Four, and several of them took issue with how the waning seconds went down.
Dallas Cowboys legend Dez Bryant chimed in as well, writing that the game was "extremely rigged."
Along with James, several NBA veterans and ex-players expressed discontent over the Edwards call.
Controversy or not, Iowa has punched its ticket to Sunday's national championship game vs. South Carolina. These two teams met in last season's Final Four, when Clark had the game of her life -- 41 points, eight assists, six rebounds -- to help upset the then-undefeated Gamecocks. South Carolina is unbeaten again, and with Clark standing in the way of history once more, Dawn Staley's squad will surely have extra motivation to become just the 10th undefeated champion in Division I women's college basketball.