Basketball world reacts to controversial foul call in Final Four matchup between Iowa, UConn
Iowa and UConn squared off in a highly anticipated Final Four matchup Friday night, with Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers headlining the showdown. However, when the final buzzer sounded after a 71-69 Hawkeyes win, the officiating was a key topic of conversation.
UConn got the ball back with nine seconds to play after KK Arnold forced a Clark turnover, and the Huskies called a timeout. They went down the court, and as Bueckers got the ball, the officials blew the whistle to call an illegal screen on Aaliyah Edwards. That gave Iowa the ball, and the Hawkeyes went on to ice the victory and advance to the national championship.
But the questionable call loomed large – and the reactions poured in from across the basketball world.
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ESPN’s Andraya Carter also shared her thoughts on the call during an appearance on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt immediately after the buzzer sounded. She made sure to praise Gabbie Marshall’s effort for going over the screen instead of going underneath – therefore drawing the contact – but said she didn’t think there was enough to blow the whistle.
“I agree, SVP. I hated the call,” Carter said. “You’ve got to give Gabbie Marshall credit for trying to fight over the screen. That’s what drew the ref’s attention in. But to me, now that final play, it’s not about Iowa’s defense. It’s about the call that the referee made. Maybe there was a slight lean, maybe Aaliyah Edwards’ elbow was slightly out. But to be honest, the calls weren’t even on both sides. There were missed calls for Iowa, there were missed contact for UConn. So to make that call at the very end of the game, to me, it just felt like it took away an opportunity for players to make plays – be it UConn or be it Iowa.
“But again, give Gabbie Marshall credit for fighting over the screen. You don’t want to see that call made, but there are technicalities to the game that referees try to hold themselves to. So you’ve got to give Iowa credit, but that call, to be honest – I don’t even know if I can say it on TV, but that call sucked, SVP.”
Beyond the call that became the talk of the sports world, there were some huge performances from both teams. Clark led the way, bouncing back from a rough first half to finish with 21 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and some high-IQ plays in the final minute to help lead Iowa to the victory. Hannah Stuelke also had big night, finishing with a team-high 23 points for the Hawkeyes.
On the UConn side, Bueckers and Edwards led the way with 17 points apiece while Arnold added 14 points as she took the big stage as a freshman. The Huskies’ depth was tested down the stretch as they dealt with foul trouble on top of their season-ending injuries, but they still managed to claw back in after Iowa took a 10-point lead at one point.