DALLAS (AP) — Caitlin Clark had another sensational game with 41 points to help Iowa spoil South Carolina’s perfect season with a 77-73 victory in the Final Four. The spectacular junior guard set a record for the highest-scoring semifinal game and became the first women’s player to post back-to-back 40-point games in the NCAA Tournament. She now has the Hawkeyes in a spot they’ve never been in before — one victory away from a national championship. They’ll have to beat another SEC team to do that as Iowa will face LSU in the title game on Sunday afternoon after the Tigers beat Virginia Tech in the other national semifinal. The loss ended a tremendous season for the defending champion Gamecocks. They finished 36-1.
DALLAS (AP) — LSU is going to the women's national championship game for the first time. Alexis Morris scored 27 points, Angel Reese had 24 and the Tigers beat top-seeded Virginia Tech 79-72 in a national semifinal game. The Tigers are in their second season since coach Kim Mulkey returned to her home state to take over an LSU program that once lost five consecutive national semifinal games. LSU will play Sunday against the winner of the South Carolina-Iowa semifinal. Elizabeth Kitley had 18 points for Virginia Tech, the ACC champion that was in the Final Four for the first time.
HOUSTON (AP) — The saying goes that defense wins championships. But it's largely been top-tier offenses winning the NCAA championship in March Madness. This weekend's Final Four in Houston features two highly rated offenses in Connecticut and Miami. It also features a defensive-heavy approach in San Diego State. According to KenPom data, 17 of the past 20 national champions have ranked in the top 10 for offensive efficiency. And 14 have ranked better at offense than defense.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas sharpshooter Gradey Dick is entering the NBA draft after one season with the Jayhawks. The 6-foot-8 guard announced his decision in a social media post. Dick started all 36 games for the Jayhawks and averaged 14.1 points while shooting better than 40% from 3-point range. He made 83 3-pointers, a program record for a freshman. Kansas lost to Arkansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, with Dick scoring just seven points in his finale.
UNDATED (AP) — Grant McCasland is Texas Tech’s new men's basketball coach. The announcement Friday came a day after North Texas won the NIT title to wrap up the school’s first 30-win season. North Texas was 135-65 in six seasons under the 46-year-old McCasland, who has a master’s degree from Texas Tech. During his time on the Lubbock campus from 1999-2001, McCasland served as director of basketball operations for coach James Dickey. That was after McCasland got his undergraduate degree in 1999 from Baylor, where he was listed as a 5-foot-9 walk-on player who got into 47 games over four seasons. He later was an assistant coach for the Bears and coach Scott Drew.
FRIDAY SCORES
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Houston 6 Chicago White Sox 3
Final Cleveland 9 Seattle 4
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Miami 2 N.Y. Mets 1
Final Colorado 4 San Diego 1
Final Arizona 2 L.A. Dodgers 1
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Chicago 121 Charlotte 91
Final Orlando 116 Washington 109
Final Philadelphia 117 Toronto 110
Final Indiana 121 Oklahoma City 117
Final Boston 122 Utah 114
Final Brooklyn 124 Atlanta 107
Final New York 130 Cleveland 116
Final Memphis 108 L.A. Clippers 94
Final L.A. Lakers 123 Minnesota 111
Final Houston 121 Detroit 115
Final Sacramento 138 Portland 114
Final Golden State 130 San Antonio 115
Final Phoenix 100 Denver 93
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final OT Buffalo 3 N-Y Rangers 2
Final Winnipeg 6 Detroit 2
Final OT Calgary 5 Vancouver 4
Final Dallas 5 Arizona 2