Women’s Final Four score updates: Caitlin Clark powers Iowa over UConn

The NCAA women's basketball tournament reaches its penultimate round on Friday as the Final Four gets underway at Rocket Mortgage Field House.

The first game of the night featured No. 1-seeded and undefeated South Carolina, winner of the Albany 1 regional, against No. 3-seeded North Carolina State, winner of the Portland 3 regional at 7 p.m. The second game will pit No. 1-seeded Iowa, the Albany 2 regional champion led by all-time scoring leader Caitlin Clark, against No. 3-seeded Connecticut, the Portland 4 regional champion.

Women’s March Madness games are airing and streaming on ESPN. We will provide the latest news, scores, analysis and more all day. Follow along.

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Iowa holds off UConn, advances to championship game

Iowa will face South Carolina in Sunday's national championship game after holding off Connecticut 71-69.

Caitlin Clark scored 21 points for the Hawkeyes. She missed a free throw with 3.1 seconds left, but Iowa maintained possession after Sydney Affolter forced a held ball with one-tenth of a second left.

Trailing 70-69, Connecticut had a chance to take the lead in the final seconds. Aaliyah Edwards was whistled for an offensive foul with 4.6 seconds left.

UConn looking to make a late push

The Huskies trailed by as many as nine in the fourth quarter, but are down only 68-64 with 2:38 left.

Iowa's Caitlin Clark heating up

Uh-oh. Iowa's Caitlin Clark is heating up. She has 7 points in the first 2:33 of the fourth quarter and 20 for the game.

The Hawkeyes lead 60-57.

Connecticut and Iowa head to the fourth quarter tied

Connecticut and Iowa are tied at 51-51 going into the fourth quarter.

Who will join South Carolina in Sunday's national championship game?

Caitlin Clark's 4-point play helps Iowa tie things up

It took awhile Iowa's Caitlin Clark to hit a 3-pointer tonight.

Clark's second one came as she was fouled by Connecticut's Ashlynn Shade. She tacked on the free throw to get Iowa within 44-43.

Moments later, Clark assisted on Hannah Stuelke's layup. We're tied at 45-45.

Caitlin Clark's 3-point drought finally ends

Iowa's Caitlin Clark hit her first 3-pointer of the night after six straight misses. it came during an early third quarter run that helped the Hawkeyes tie the game.

Paige Bueckers responded with a 3 and a layup to help put Connecticut back on top. The Huskies lead 41-37.

Hawkeyes rally, Huskies' Paige Bueckers closes out half with basket

Connecticut's double-digit lead was sliced to four before a Paige Bueckers basket in the final seconds gave the Huskies a 32-26 halftime lead.

KK Arnold has 10 points and four of Connecticut's 11 steals. Hannah Stuelke leads Iowa with eight points, and Caitlin Clark has been held to just six.

UConn getting it done defensively

Connecticut already has nine steals. ... NINE!

Aaliyah Edwards' fourth steal of the night leads to her layup and a 25-16 Huskies lead. Timeout Iowa.

Huskies lead Hawkeyes 19-14 at end of one quarter

All is quiet on the Caitlin Clark and Paige Buckers front ... so far. The two featured players in this semifinal have combined for just 4 points on 2-of-9 shooting.

KK Arnold and Nika Muhl have 6 points apiece for UConn. Hannah Stuelke also has 6 points for Iowa.

Hot start for Connecticut

The Huskies have hit five of their first eight shots and lead the Hawkeyes 13-7 at the first quarter media timeout.

KK Arnold has 6 points for UConn.

Iowa's Gabbie Marshall enjoying home state Final Four

GlenOak fans may remember Gabbie Marshall.

The iowa senior guard played high school basketball at Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame and was on the team that beat GlenOak in the 2019 state semifinals. She scored 11 points in the 55-37 semifinal win over the Golden Eagles.

Marshall and Mount Notre Dame went on to win the Division I state championship that season.

Iowa Hawkeyes starting lineup vs. Connecticut

• No. 3 Sydney Affolter, 5-11, Jr., guard

• No. 20 Kate Martin, 6-0, Sr., guard

• No. 22 Caitlin Clark, 6-0, Sr., guard

• No. 24 Gabbie Marshall, 5-9, Sr., guard

• No. 45 Hannah Stuelke, 6-2, Soph. forward

Connecticut Huskies staring lineup vs. Iowa

• No. 2 KK Arnold, 5-9, Fr., guard

• No. 3 Aaliyah Edwards, 6-3, Sr., forward

• No. 5 Paige Bueckers, 6-0, Jr., guard

• No. 10 Nika Muhl, 5-11, Sr., guard

• No. 12 Ashlynn Shade, 5-10, Fr., guard

South Carolina heading back to the national championship game with rout

South Carolina used a huge second half to turn a tight game into a rout, beating North Carolina State 78-59 in Friday's first national semifinal. The Gamecocks, 37-0 on the season, will be playing for a title on Sunday afternoon.

The Gamecock will play either Iowa (33-4) or Connecticut (33-5) Sunday at 3 p.m. for the championship. Those teams play in the second semifinal, scheduled to tip at around 9:30 p.m.

Kamilla Cardoso led South Carolina with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Raven Johnson added 13 points, while Te-Hina Paopao added 10 for the Gamecocks.

Aziaha James' 20 points led the way for North Carolina State, which finishes the season 31-7.

Ashlyn Watkins cleaning the glass for South Carolina

South Carolina's 6-foot-3 sophomore Ashlyn Watkins has owned the glass in the second half. Watkins has grabbed 12 of the Gamecocks' 22 second-half rebounds to give her 20 rebounds with 1:36 remaining in the game,

South Carolina leads North Carolina State 76-57 with less than 90 seconds remaining.

Former South Carolina Gamecock Saniya Rivers ends North Carolina State drought

Saniya Rivers transferred from South Carolina to North Carolina State following the 2021-22 season. The junior's first 3-point basket of the game was also the first Wolfpack field goal since the 7:46 mark of the third quarter.

Rivers' basket, though, merely cut her former team's lead to 61-40. with 9:44 remaining in the game.

Massive South Carolina run helps Gamecocks blow it open in 3rd

Undefeated South Carolina appeared to be in a bit of a fight at halftime, leading North Carolina State by just one point. The Gamecocks, though, ended the quarter looking like they'll be well on their way to another appearance in the national championship game.

South Carolina had an 11-0 run that helped to blow open what had been a tight contest. That was part of a much larger 29-6 advantage over the 10-minute span of the quarter that allowed the Gamecocks to take a 61-37 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Wolfpack did not hit a field goal over the final 7:48 of the quarter. South Carolina, meanwhile, ended the quarter on a 17-1 run.

South Carolina fan Darius Rucker gets a little screen time

The third quarter media timeout arrived with 4:48 remaining in the quarter. South Carolina led 48-36 at that point.

During the timeout, the scoreboard at Rocket Mortgage Field House showed country music superstar Darius Rucker to loud applause. Rucker is renown as one of South Carolina's biggest celebrity fans.

South Carolina opens up a 12-point 3rd-quarter lead on North Carolina State

South Carolina spent the entire first half struggling to pull away from North Carolina State, leading by just one point at halftime. The Gamecocks have figured things out to open the third quarter, starting on a 16-5 run to open up a 48-36 lead with 6:29 remaining in the quarter.

The Gamecocks have made 7-of-9 third-quarter shots. That includes a pair of 3-point baskets.

Te-Hina Paopao, Raven Johnson kick-start South Carolina

Te-Hina Paopao and Raven Johnson scored the first five points of the game for South Carolina. They did the same to start the second half.

Johnson's jumper and Paopao's 3-point basket gave the Gamecocks a quick 37-31 lead just 33 seconds into the third quarter. Johnson's 3-pointer with eight minutes left in the third opened up a 42-32 South Carolina lead, its biggest of the night to that point.

Kamilla Cardoso back as South Carolina comes out for 2nd-half warmups

South Carolina appears to have dodge a bullet as 6-foot-7 center Kamilla Cardoso was back on the floor with the rest of her teammates to start warmups for the second half. Cardoso went to the locker room with 1:39 remaining in the first half with what appeared to be a right ankle injury.

The Gamecocks lead the North Carolina State Wolfpack 32-31 to start the second half of Friday's first national semifinal.

Halftime: South Carolina 32, North Carolina State 31

South Carolina took a one-point lead into the locker room at halftime, leading North Carolina State 32-31. The bigger concern, though, may be the health of 6-foot-7 center Kamilla Cardoso, who left the game with 1:39 remaining in the half with an injury to her right foot or ankle.

Cardoso leads all scorers with 16 points. Aziaha James leads the Wolfpack with 10 points.

South Carolina shot 44% (14 of 32) from the floor, with 20 points in the paint. North Carolina State shot 36% (12 of 33) from the floor.

Kamilla Cardoso goes to the locker room for South Carolina with ankle injury

Kamilla Cardoso appeared to injure her right foot or ankle on a missed layup attempt with 2:05 remaining in the first half. Cardoso, the 6-foot-7 South Carolina star, went to the locker room after she was replaced in the lineup with 1:39 remaining in the half.

There's been no immediate update on Cardoso's injury status. She leads all scores with 16 points in the first half.

Tessa Johnson ends Kamilla Cardoso's one-person run for South Carolina

Tessa Johnson's jumper with 2:44 remaining in the second quarter gave South Carolina a 30-24 lead. That was the Gamecocks' biggest lead of the first half to that point.

However, it also ended Kamilla Cardoso's personal run of scoring 12 consecutive points for South Carolina in the quarter. Cardoso leads the Gamecocks with 16 points.

Kamilla Cardoso helps South Carolina take two-point lead midway through second quarter

South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso is a 6-foot-7 force inside. The Gamecocks started to use that force to open up a 26-24 lead with 4:42 remaining in the second quarter.

Cardoso scored 10 consecutive points for the Gamecocks to open the second quarter. She went to the bench with 5:14 remaining in the quarter with 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting from the floor and 2-of-2 shooting from the foul line.

End first quarter: South Carolina 16, North Carolina State 16

South Carolina scored seven of the final 11 first-quarter points to go into the second quarter tied with North Carolina State at 16-16. The Gamecocks tied the score 16-16 with 23 seconds left on Milay Fulwiley's 3-point basket.

Both teams have made seven field goals. South Carolina was 7 of 17 (41%) from the field in the first quarter, while North Carolina State was 7 of 16 (44%) in the quarter.

South Carolina cold after quick start, trails at under-5 timeout in first quarter

After South Carolina made its first two shots of the game, it's gone 2 of 9. Both makes came on the interior by Kamilla Cardoso.

That has allowed North Carolina State to take a 12-9 lead at the under-five timeout, with 3:11 in the first quarter.

North Carolina State counters South Carolina run with one of its own

The quick start by South Carolina was countered by North Carolina State. The Wolfpack went on a 7-0 run to take a 7-5 lead on Aziaha James' 3-point basket with 6:47 left in the first quarter.

James would make it 10-7 with her second 3-pointer of the game with 5:22 remaining.

South Carolina scores game's first 5 points

Te-Hina Paopao's layup and Raven Johnson's 3-point basket gave South Carolina a 5-0 lead 59 seconds into the game. Those were the first two shot attempts for the Gamecocks.

South Carolina Gamecocks starting lineup vs. North Carolina State

Here's the starting lineup for South Carolina against North Carolina State, according to the NCAA official live stats:

• No. 0 Te-Hina Paopao, 5-9, Sr., guard

• No. 23 Bree Hall, 6-0, Jr., guard

• No. 25 Raven Johnson, 5-9, So., guard

• No. 21 Chloe Kitts, 6-2, So., forward

• No. 10 Kamillia Cardoso, 6-7, Sr., center

North Carolina State Wolfpack starting lineup vs. South Carolina

Here's the starting lineup for North Carolina State against South Carolina, according to the NCAA official live stats:

• No. 10 Aziaha James, 5-9, Jr., guard

• No. 21 Madison Hayes, 6-0, Sr., guard

• No. 22 Saniya Rivers, 6-1, Jr., guard

• No. 2 Mimi Collins, 6-3, Fr., forward

• No. 1 River Baldwin, 6-5, grad student, center

Rocket Mortgage Field House an hour before tipoff

March Madness women's games today

Here is the full schedule for Friday’s NCAA women’s tournament national semifinals.

• 7 p.m.: (1) South Carolina vs. (3) North Carolina State

• 9:30 p.m.: (1) Iowa vs. (3) Connecticut

How to watch women's Final Four games

ESPN will broadcast both of Friday’s Final Four games.

South Carolina vs. North Carolina State odds

South Carolina is the favorite to defeat North Carolina State in Friday's first March Madness matchup, according to the BetMGM college basketball odds. The Gamecocks are 11.5-point favorites (-110), while they're -800 on the money line.

The Wolfpack are +550 on the money line. The over/under is 139.5 (-110).

Iowa vs. Connecticut odds

Iowa is the favorite to defeat Connecticut in Friday's second March Madness matchup, according to the BetMGM college basketball odds. The Hawkeyes are 3.5-point favorites (-110) and a -160 favorite on the money line.

The Huskies are +135 on the money line. The over/under is 162.5 (-110).

Women’s March Madness players to watch today

• South Carolina F Kamilla Cardoso (14.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg), who has been a two-way dominant force for the Gamecocks.

• N.C. State G Aziaha James (16.7 ppg, 3.0 apg), whose been deadly from behind the 3-point arc through the first four NCAA tournament games.

• Iowa G Caitlin Clark (28.5 ppg., 8.3 apg, 7.1 rpg), the star of the whole show as the all-time college hoops scoring leader

• Connecticut G Page Bueckers (22.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg), the former national player of the year who's back after a knee injury cost her all of the 2022-23 season

Who won the 2023 women’s basketball national championship?

Last year's NCAA Tournament featured the most-watched Final Four in the sport's history when Iowa handed South Carolina a rare loss and then lost a nail-biter to LSU in the championship.

Women’s March Madness schedule

Here is the women's schedule:

• First round: March 22-23

• Second round: March 24-25

• Sweet 16: March 29-30

• Elite Eight: March 31-April 1

• Final Four: Friday, April 5 at 7:30 and 9 p.m. ET on ESPN

• NCAA championship game: Sunday, April 7 at 3 p.m. ET on ABC

NCAA women's March Madness bracket

You can find the complete women's March Madness bracket here.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Women’s Final Four live updates for South Carolina vs NC State