The Gamecocks took its first lead of the game with a layup by Kamilla Cardoso in the second quarter to bring the score to 36-34.

Iowa responded shortly thereafter to bring it to a 36-36 tie, on a Hannah Stuelke score.

Iowa Hawkeyes coach Lisa Bluder said South Carolina’s MiLaysia Fulwiley is so fast, their best option is to try and deny her the basketball.

“Man, she’s fast,” Bluder said after the end of the first quarter. “She’s fast with the basketball, she’s fast going downhill.”

“I think we’ve got to keep the ball out of her hands in order to stop her — because once she gets the ball it’s pretty hard to contain her,” Bluder said.

Clark now has another notable NCAA record — her 480 points (and counting) in the NCAA tournament is also an all-time record, breaking Tennessee legend Chamique Holdsclaw’s record that she set for the Volunteers in the late 1990s.

Clark is pouring it on in Cleveland — the Iowa senior has 18 points through the first quarter in the NCAA tournament title game, an all-time record for a single quarter in title game history.

As we all grab a collective breath in between quarters, we can marvel at Clark’s performance so far: 3-for-4 from long range, 5-for-8 from the field and 5-for-6 from the line, all while creating offense all over the court.

Clark, after scoring many of the first points of the game, missed on a pass and caused the game’s first turnover.

Clark was inside the 3-point zone and passed back toward where Hannah Stuelke had been, but Stuelke had moved. South Carolina’s MiLaysia Fulwiley would go on to score a 3-pointer after the turnover.

Cleveland is getting quite a lot of attention this weekend.

Between hosting the women's NCAA Final Four and championship game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and being in the path of totality for Monday's eclipse, it's sure an exciting weekend to be an Ohioan.

Iowa leads 27-20 after the first 10 minutes of play.

After Clark quickly took an early lead for the Hawkeyes, South Carolina clawed its way back to close the gap a bit as the first quarter closed out.

Lost in the offensive explosion out of the gate for Iowa and Clark is the deficit that South Carolina is already having to battle back from. The Gamecocks have barely trailed in the NCAA tournament so far, to say nothing of the entire regular season, where South Carolina was notably undefeated, and routinely won games by 20-plus points. 

The Gamecocks are clawing back with a 9-2 run here late in the first quarter, but Dawn Staley's squad is certainly not used to playing from behind.

Dawn Staley has been here before — the Gamecocks inimitable leader is one of women’s basketball’s most decorated individuals and has led South Carolina to four straight Final Fours and two total national titles, and is looking for a third today. 

Staley, who has been in coaching for more than two decades, also has extensive Final Four experience as a player, leading her Virginia team in the late '80s and early '90s to three Final Fours and one title game. Staley averaged 16.3 points per game across her four-year college career before a much-celebrated professional career for Team USA, the American Basketball League and ultimately the WNBA.

Staley entered the college coaching ranks as coach at Temple, where the Owls made six NCAA tournaments before leaving for South Carolina, where she’s been since 2008. In total, Staley-coached Gamecocks squads have been to six Final Fours.