Hawkeyes say a win against South Carolina will depend on rebounding

DALLAS, Texas (KCRG) - Iowa is an underdog against South Carolina, they say a key to evening that gap is boxing out.

“They have so much size and if they get double our shots, we do then it’ll be hard to win the game,” said Caitlin Clark. “If you have more attempt at the baskets, that’s just hard to overcome.”

“Rebounding boxing out that’s gonna be key for us in this game,” said Gabbie Marshall. “Obviously we’re gonna shoot the ball well. I’m speaking it into existence. A three is worth more than a two, Coach Bluder always says that. If we have equal possessions then we win this game.”

While they don’t match up directly, the two biggest stars in women’s basketball are Caitlin Clark and South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston. The Naismith Defensive Player of the Year is also a huge offensive threat.

“She’s a great post player, phenomenal she can score at a multitude of different levels,” said Monika Czinano. “It’s gonna be trying to disrupt her flow a little bit.”

It’s been a whirlwind of a day for the Hawkeyes, none of these players have ever been to a Final Four. They say it’s an unbelievable experience, but now it’s time to focus on making it to championship Sunday.

“I think all of us are so excited for the basketball part of this,” said Monika Czinano. “There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes that we didn’t realize when we got here, but it’s really special to be in this experience and take it all in.”

“Obviously this was one of our goals we reached at, but we’re not done,” said Kate Martin. “We feel this destiny around this team. We feel the sense of pride, but we also are here to win two more games.”

“We’re not just here to get here. We’re really proud, but at the same time we’re not finished.”