The Huskies take a lead into the locker room
UConn is leading the Iowa Huskies 32-26 at the half.
UConn defense is making a difference: Iowa finished the first half on a 10-4 run to end the half down by six. Iowa's highest-scoring offense since 2014 has been held to just 26 points in the first half.
UConn is now the favorite (-180) on the moneyline.
Iowa fans trying to will their team to a lead
CLEVELAND — As the clock was winding down in the first half and Iowa got into more of a rhythm, the crowd seemed to come alive with the chants rising and falling based on how the Hawkeyes played at both ends of the court.
Though both teams are represented here in the stands, Iowa fans seem to be making more noise.
Just a couple of lifelong sports fans
Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers have clearly been sports fans their whole lives, cheering on football teams since they were too short to man the court.
The Kansas City Chiefs shared a photo of young Clark in Chiefs gear ahead of tonight's Final Four match, and the Minnesota Vikings did the same of Bueckers.
"She grew up cheering for us and now we're cheering for her," the Vikings posted on X.
Rough start for Clark
The superstar is ice cold, going 1-6 from the field with three rebounds, three assists and three costly turnovers.
UConn leads by 9 points with just under 7 minutes to go in the first half.
Michael Phelps ‘honored’ to be on Clark’s lock screen
Caitlin Clark revealed in an interview this week that her iPhone lock screen is set to a photo of Michael Phelps swimming at the Olympics. “It’s pretty tough,” she said.
Phelps said he was “honored” to hold that place.
“This is so cool!” the Olympian wrote in a reply on X.
Not many points on the board
It was a slow start for both Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, who combined for four points.
Clark, who hit nine threes in the last game, is 0-3 from behind the arc. Iowa is 2-9, while UConn is 4-7 from three-point land to start this contest.
UConn leads after the first quarter
After 10 minutes of play, UConn leads Iowa 19-14, but the Hawkeyes have 30 minutes to try to punch their ticket to the championship game.
Iowa was plagued by turnovers in the first quarter, giving UConn the ball back eight times.
Why women plays in quarters
Unlike their male counterparts, the NCAA women's basketball teams play games of four 10-minute quarters. The men play two 20-minute halves.
The women's rules were changed in 2015 to "enhance the flow of the game," according to a 2015 NCAA release announcing the change.
Prior to the 2015 announcement, women's college basketball also played in two 20-minute halves.
Both the NBA and WNBA play in quarters, as well: The NBA uses four 12-minute quarters, and the WNBA uses four 10-minute quarters.
The second game of the night will likely outscore the first
Expect a much higher scoring game for the second Final Four matchup between UConn and Iowa.
The total opened at 167.5 and has moved down to 162.5. A full 30-points more than the first game tonight.
How Iowa and UConn got here
The Iowa Hawkeyes defeated Holy Cross in the first round, West Virginia in the second round, Colorado in the Sweet 16 and LSU in the Elite Eight, in what ended up being a rematch of last year’s championship game.
As for UConn, the Huskies barrelled past Jackson State in the first round, Syracuse in the second round, Duke in the Sweet 16 and USC in the Elite Eight to make it to Cleveland tonight.