Women's Final Four: Late phantom call mars Iowa-UConn ending

On Friday night in Cleveland,Caitlin Clark and Iowa defeated Paige Bueckers 71-69 to advance tothe national title game against undefeated South Carolina – but notwithout some late-game drama.

With Iowa just leading by one70-69 with 9 seconds left, UConn had possession for the final shotin the game. Out of the timeout, the Huskies tried to run a splitaction for Bueckers with Aaliyah Edwards screening and Nika Muhlpassing the ball. As the screen was set with Bueckers veering backtowards Muhl to receive the pass and get ready to shoot, Hawkeyesguard Gabbie Marshall fought over the screen by Edwards which endedup with the play getting called for an offensive foul for settingan illegal screen with just around 3 seconds left in thegame.

OFFENSIVE FOUL OR NOT? 🤔pic.twitter.com/rxB7d3Lydk

— BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) April 6, 2024

It was a questionable foul call,to say the least – sparking a debate each with contrasting sides totell.

It set the internet ablaze andeveryone was talking about it. Notable NBA and WNBA stars eachchimed in on X with their thoughts on the questionable call, citinghow the players should decide the outcome of the game with theirplays whether it be good or bad rather than laying it up for thereferees to decide.

NAAAAAHHHHHH!!! I ain’t rolling with thatcall.

— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 6, 2024

To call that on a game deciding play is sowrong WOW

— Kelsey Plum (@Kelseyplum10) April 6, 2024

SportsCenter host Scott Van Peltand ESPN Women’s Basketball analyst Andraya Carter didn’t agreewith the call either.

“I hated the call. You’ve got togive Gabbie Marshall credit for trying to fight over the screen.That’s what drew the refs’ attention in,” Carter said onSportsCenter after the game. “But to me, now that final play it’snot about Iowa’s defense. It’s about the call the referee made.There was a slight lean, maybe Aaliyah Edwards’ elbow was slightlyout. But to be honest the calls were even for both sides. Therewere missed calls for Iowa. There were missed contacts for UConn.To make that call at the very end of the game – to me, it took awaythe opportunity for players to make plays. … To be honest, thatcall sucked.”

WNBA legends Diana Taurasi andSue Bird, who had their ESPN segment ‘The Bird and Taurasi Show’grace the Final Four, also shared their thoughts in real-time withUConn legend Breanna Stewart while commentating and watching thegame live.

3 uconn huskies react to the 'offensivefoul' pic.twitter.com/wFWCbVYTMG

— jaiden (@steph_turkey) April 6, 2024

“Oh my god,” expressed a visiblydisappointed Taurasi. “Wow, what an unfortunate time to call anoffensive foul. Just know how to ruin the game – oh my god that’sterrible. It didn’t even get her open – that’s a tough play. Wealways talk about letting the players decide the game, especiallyin a benign call like that. It’s just tough to end the game likethat.”

Legendary coach Geno Auriemmacould not hide his disappointment as well in the post-gameconference, saying UConn maybe should just get better at notsetting illegal screens. “There’s probably an illegal screen callyou could make on every single possession, and I just know therewere three or four called on us – and I don’t think any were calledon them.”

Clark and Final Four hero HannahStuelke – who played perhaps the best game of her life by scoring23 points – thought their teammate Marshall did a good job offighting over the screen, praising how she has been one of thenation’s best defenders.

“Gabbie is great in thosesituations. She always comes up with big plays, a block, orwhatever,” Stuelke said. “You always see it time and time again,[Marshall] does not get enough credit for what she does,” Clarkadded. “She guards one of the best players in the country and itchallenges her quite a bit. Paige had a great game but I thoughtGabbie just played great defense on her. Even when Paige made sometough baskets, Gabbie just responded and kept going up there andguarded her.”

Despite the tough loss, Bueckerstook the high road and remained a positive attitude after whattranspired late in the game.

"Players play and players decidethe game. Everybody can make a big deal out of one single play butone single play doesn’t win or lose a basketball game," Bueckersadmitted. "... You can look at one play and say oh that killed usor that hurt us. We should have done a better job, I should havedone a better job making sure didn’t leave the game up tothat."