Caitlin Clark paid tribute to one of the greats, posing for photos to replicate Kobe's iconic trophy poses. Shot by Bri Lewerke, Clark hit the poses that came from Kobe's three-peat in 2002. Iowa captured their third consecutive Big Ten title in a wild OT thriller against Nebraska. Trailing by 11 at the half, Iowa needed a huge 30-point second half from Caitlin Clark to force OT. In the extra period, the Hawkeyes were finally able to pull away from the relentless Huskers. With the win, Iowa has likely captured a No. 1 seeding during next week's Selection Sunday. Iowa had a fairly easy run to the title game, beating Penn State and Michigan, both by double digits.
Meanwhile, Chattanooga also punched their ticket to the Big Dance with a 69-60 win over UNC Greensboro in the Southern Conference. The Mocs and Hawkeyes joined UT Martin, who punched their ticket on Friday. However, the Skyhawks did so despite losing their OVC title game. As Southern Indiana, the OVC conference champions, are still in their transitional period to D1, they are ineligible for NCAA postseason tournaments. Notre Dame also secured the ACC championship in a close win over NC State.
Kamilla Cardoso Sinks First-Ever Three-Pointer To Save South Carolina, Sports World Goes Wild
However, Clark's heroics and Iowa's comeback are only the latest piece of viral basketball this weekend. South Carolina remained undefeated as senior Kamilla Cardoso hit her first career three-pointer to give the Gamecocks a 74-73 win over Tennessee in the SEC Conference Tournament semifinals. South Carolina had squandered a 13-point halftime lead and were staring down their first loss in almost a year when the Brazilian star hit her miraculous buzzer-beater. She was immediately mobbed by her teammates, disappearing under a pile of bodies. South Carolina followed up their win by capturing yet another SEC tournament title at the expense of LSU and Angel Reese. This was despite a bench-clearing brawl with just over two minutes left in the game.
The sports world was quick to react to Cardoso's heroics. "Oh My God!!! What a game!!! #kamillacordoso with the game winning 3 with 1.1 seconds on the clock!! Wow!! What A Shot!!! This was awesome to watch!!!" wrote NFL legend Terrell Owens. "Kamilla you shoot now!? 😱 where was this in AAU," wrote WNBA star and Cardoso's former AAU teammate Rhyne Howard.
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