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Monday 8 april 2024 SPORTS
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South Carolina finishes perfect season with NCAA championship,

beating Clark and Iowa 87-75

By DOUG FEINBERG three titles in the last eight teammates have done for
AP Basketball Writer years, including two of the somebody who went to the
CLEVELAND (AP) — Dawn past three, to lay claim to WNBA in our program. They
Staley and South Caro- being the latest dynasty in send her off as a national
lina completed their per- women’s basketball. Staley champion. So this is history
fect season, ending Caitlin became the fifth coach to for us.”
Clark’s historic college ca- win at least three national Led by the 6-foot-7 Car-
reer with an 87-75 win over championships, joining doso and Ashlyn Watkins,
Iowa in the NCAA champi- Geno Auriemma, Pat Sum- South Carolina enjoyed a
onship game Sunday. mitt, Kim Mulkey and Tara 51-29 rebounding advan-
With Staley directing a re- VanDerveer. tage. It also finished with 30
lentless attack from the The Gamecocks, who have second-chance points.
sideline, the Gamecocks won 109 of their last 112 The Gamecocks also
(38-0) became the 10th Di- games, became the first showed off their impressive
vision I team to go through team since UConn in 2016 depth. Johnson helped the
a season without a loss. South Carolina players and coach celebrate after the Final Four to go undefeated. South team to a 37-0 difference in
And they accomplished college basketball championship game against Iowa in the Carolina had a couple points by reserves.
the feat after they lost all women’s NCAA Tournament, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Cleveland. scares throughout the sea- South Carolina trailed 46-44
five starters from last sea- Associated Press son, but always found a late in the second quarter
son’s team that lost to way to win. before going on an 11-0
Clark’s squad in the nation- scored 30 points, includ- it’s really hard to win these With most of the team re- run spanning halftime to
al semifinals. ing a championship-record things, I think I know that turning next year — except open a 55-46 advantage
“It doesn’t always end like 18 in the first quarter. She better than most people by for star center Kamilla Car- early in the third quarter.
you want it to end, much will go down as one of the now, to be so close twice doso — Staley’s team is in Clark finally ended the run
like last year. But my freshies greatest players in NCAA really hurts,” Clark said. a good position to keep this with a layup.
are at the top of my heart history. She rewrote the re- As the final buzzer sounded, run going. The Hawkeyes closed to 59-
because they wanted this. cord book at Iowa (34-5), a stoic Clark walked off the Tessa Johnson led South 55 and had a chance to
It’s awesome. .... It’s awe- finishing as the career lead- court, through the confetti, Carolina with 19 points. get even closer, but Han-
some. It’s awesome. It’s ing scorer in NCAA Division and into the tunnel head- Cardoso, the NCAA tour- nah Stuelke missed a wide-
unbelievable,” Staley said. I history with 3,951 career ing to the locker room. ney’s Most Outstanding open layup on a brilliant
“When young people lock points. “I personally want to thank Player, had 15 points and pass from Clark.
in and have a belief, and She hopes her legacy isn’t Caitlin Clark for lifting up 17 rebounds. South Carolina responded
have a trust, and their par- defined by falling short in our sport. She carried a “Kamilla Cardoso was with the next eight points,
ents have that same trust, two NCAA championship heavy load for our sport,” not going to let us lose a including two 3-pointers.
this is what can happen. games, but more by the Staley said. “She’s going game in the NCAA Tour- The Gamecocks, who were
They made history. They millions of new fans she to lift that league (WNBA) nament,” Staley said. “She 4 for 20 from behind the
etched their names in the helped bring into the game up as well. Caitlin Clark if played through an injury, 3-point line during last sea-
history books.” and the countless young you’re out there you’re one she played like one of son’s Final Four loss to Iowa,
Clark did all she could to girls and boys that she in- of the GOATs of our game. the top picks in the WNBA went 8 for 19 from deep
lead the Hawkeyes to their spired. We appreciate you.” draft, and her teammates against the Hawkeyes this
first championship. She “I think the biggest thing is South Carolina has won did something that no time around.q

Van der Poel produces dominant performance to win Paris-Roubaix

for 2nd straight year

ROUBAIX, France (AP) — made the 29 cobblestone were three minutes behind
Dutch cycling star Mathieu sections less treacherous. Van der Poel.
Van der Poel broke away Entering the Velodrome Paris-Roubaix is one of the
with 60 kilometers (37 miles) at Roubaix, the world five “monuments” in one-
remaining to win the Paris- road race champion was day cycling with the Tour of
Roubaix cycling classic for around three minutes clear Flanders, Liège–Bastogne–
the second straight year and could milk the ap- Liège, the Tour of Lombardy
with a dominant perfor- plause from the crowd. and Milan-San Remo. The
mance on Sunday. “I could never of dreamed 29-year-old Van der Poel
With his archrival Wout van of this as a child. I’m a bit has now won a total of six
Aert recovering from multi- lost for words, really, but monuments overall but has
ple injuries sustained at the I’ll just try to enjoy this mo- yet to win Liège and Lom-
Dwars door Vlaanderen ment,” Van der Poel said. bardy.
race in late March, Van der “My legs felt incredible to- At the halfway point on
Poel dominated the gruel- day.” Netherland’s Mathieu van der Poel celebrates as he crosses the Sunday, most of the favor-
ing 260 kilometer (161-mile) He eased back on his bike finish line to win the men’s Paris Roubaix, a 260 kilometer (162 ites were still near Van der
trek from its start in Com- and raised his arms slowly miles) one-day-race, at the velodrome in Roubaix, northern Poel.
France, Sunday, April. 7, 2024.
piègne to Roubaix in north- in the air as he crossed the Associated Press But British rider Josh Taring
ern France. line in 5 hours, 25 minutes, was ejected by the race
When he attacked with 60 58 seconds. “I had a really good day ceuninck teammate — was jury, after getting a long pull
kilometers to go, his rivals “It’s hard to believe actual- today.” in second place after beat- from his Ineos Grenadiers
simply could not catch ly, I was maybe even stron- Belgian rider Jasper Phil- ing Dane Mads Pedersen team car to regain position
him in dry conditions which ger than last year,” he said. ipsen — his Alpecin–De- in a sprint to the line. They following a puncture. q