"I really would just like to say that I have to congratulate Iowa on an incredible season, awesome, awesome," South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley said following her team's win and undefeated season.

She went on to thank Clark for bringing such attention to the women's game.

"I want to personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport. She carried a heavy load for our sport. And it's just — it's not going to stop here on the collegiate tour, but when she is the number one pick in the WNBA draft, she's going to lift that league up as well," Staley said in postgame comments.

"Caitlin Clark if you’re out there: You are one of the GOATs of our game, and we appreciate you."

Te-Hina Paopao, one of the standouts in South Carolina’s championship game victory, spoke with ESPN after the end of the game, highlighting the Gamecocks’ impressive undefeated run in the face of an entirely new set of starters and nonextraordinary expectations heading into the season.

“We’ve come a long way, this is a long journey,” Paopao told ESPN. “I’m just so proud of this team.”

Paopao finished with 14 points today, the third-leading scorer for the Gamecocks, and she hit the final two free throws to truly put the game away with just more than a minute left.

After her Gamecocks came out victorious, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley was crying so hard she could barely get the words out to express her excitement for her undefeated team.

Staley said she is "so incredibly happy for our players" and that "it doesn't always end the way you want it to end," referring to last year's tournament, when Iowa knocked out South Carolina in the Final Four.

"We hope we can erase whatever pain they had last year," Staley said of the win.

She called the win "awesome" and "unbelievable" and said she's "super proud" of her team's work and of the fans.

"You have to let young people be who they are. You have to guide them and navigate them through this world," Staley said. "When young people lock in and have a belief and trust … this is what can happen."

"They etched their names in the history books," Staley said of her team. "This is the unlikeliest group to do it."

Clark led the Iowa Hawkeyes, and the game, as the top scorer with 30 points.

For the Gamecocks, Tessa Johnson led the way with 19 points off the bench.

The Gamecocks take the NCAA trophy, capping off a perfect season with a 38-0 record, making them only the tenth Division I women's basketball team to finish the season undefeated.

The win also marks the end of Caitlin Clark's decorated college basketball career, which stopped short of the ultimate title.

Down the stretch South Carolina’s free throw shooting might prove essential — a risky proposition for the 245th-ranked team by free throw percentage (69%) during the season in women’s DI basketball. Iowa, by comparison, was 15th in the country at 78% from the stripe.

South Carolina, which is looking for its third national title since 2017, will need to do something unusual to get there in this final quarter against Iowa: bring themselves to score more than 70 points in a championship game.

In the Gamecocks’ previous two title game victories in 2022 and 2017, the Dawn Staley-led squad needed just 64 and 67 points, respectively, to get the job done. Already, South Carolina is north of 75 points against the offensive powerhouse that is the Caitlin Clark-led Iowa team.

Iowa is still capable of a comeback, having done so many times throughout the 2023-24 season, including a 12-point comeback against Nebraska in the Big Ten championship game.

CLEVELAND — Charlotte Kulesea couldn’t be having a better day in Cleveland.

“A lot,” the 10-year-old said when asked how important the day was to her.

“It’s very important because I get to spend time with my mom and my best friend,” she said.

Charlotte and her best friend, Remy Hood, also 10, were wearing matching Final Four T-shirts at the women’s NCAA title game.

“It’s so fun because I get to watch my role models play. And just it’s so fascinating,” Charlotte said. “I can play and just be myself and work as hard as I want.”

Charlotte’s mom said it was treat watching the kids enjoy the game.

“This is just amazing. ... She loves basketball, so it’s really wonderful watching her be inspired to see these girls do this amazing stuff,” her mom said.

At the end of the third quarter, the score sits at 68-59 in the Gamecocks' favor.

Now, it all comes down to the next 10 minutes to determine who will pull through as the NCAA champion.