Dawn Staley has now avenged one of her many heartbreaks. UConn and Paige Bueckers dominated South Carolina 82–59. They even had that scoreline displayed on the screens during their summer workouts. Now, they have a new scoreline to hang up as the Gamecocks defeated a previously unbeaten UConn side 62-48 to advance to Sunday’s national championship game. While it was a defining moment of retribution, Staley maintains the 2023 Final Four loss to Caitlin Clark still “haunts her.” 

Remember when Caitlin Clark shattered all illusions? Back in 2023, she took the underdogs, Iowa, to their first championship game by dropping 41 points, eight assists, and six rebounds. She propelled the Hawkeyes to a 77-73 victory. It was the second-highest-scoring game in Final Four history, behind Sheryl Swoopes’ 47 in 1993.  That historic performance remains etched in Dawn Staley’s mind to this day. 

“For me, I’m haunted by 2023. 2023, I’m haunted by that particular Final Four because of the players that we had and the season that we were having,” She said after the UConn win. “It got upended. I never got a chance to coach the Freshies anymore.”

Staley has never been shy to praise Clark or to express how that 2023 loss affected her. Back in June last year, she admitted she questioned god after that game.  “It didn’t hurt me enough to didn’t think there was a God, but I did question why,” Staley said. “I needed to know why.” It was a whirlwind performance from Clark. 

Even though she was already the darling of the basketball world, this performance exceeded all expectations. Coach Dawn Staley and South Carolina had won 42 in a row, including the previous year’s championship game. On paper, that team was arguably one of the best college basketball teams ever seen. It had 7 future WNBA players, including All-Star Aliyah Boston and Sky sensation Kamilla Cardoso.

“We made it pretty far. Then we met Caitlin,” Boston said while discussing that game on her podcast, making an “L” sign in front of her face. While they did get the revenge nest season for that game too. It was not with the same team. 

“We won it the following year. But that particular group was pretty special. I’m still haunted by it,” Staley further said. “For me, if we ever get the opportunity to be in that position again, which we were today, we’re going to lay it on the line.”

The Gamecocks fended off Iowa to beat the Hawkeyes 87-75 in the 2024 title game, finishing with a perfect 38-0 season. Caitlin Clark finished with 30 points after scoring 18 in the first quarter. That performance and the one today against UConn have one player in common: Raven Johnson’s elite defensive performance. 

Raven Johnson Brings Back Caitlin Clark Nightmares with Defensive Masterclass

Raven Johnson shut down Caitlin Clark in that 2024 National Championship game. With Johnson as her primary defender, Clark made 5 of 20 shots and scored just 12 points. With Johnson covering her, Clark also committed four turnovers. She has always been one to show up when it matters the most against the best players. Now, going against Sarah Strong, the National Player Of The Year, she locked her up to guide South Carolina to victory. 

“UConn couldn’t recover from Raven Johnson’s defense. 🔒 The Huskies shot 7-24 for 17 points and 3 turnovers on 28 halfcourt plays when Johnson was the final defender. Azzi Fudd went 1-5 with 1 turnover on those plays,” ESPN Insights wrote. With Johnson as the primary defender most of the time, Strong had 12 points while going 4-16 from the field. It was her worst game since shooting 25% against St. John’s back in December. She had only 2 points on the offensive end, but Johnson was the most important player on the Gamecocks. 

“I mean, we went to a smaller lineup just to match what they were doing out there. I mean, Raven thrives on any matchup, right? Sarah Strong is not the tallest player that she guarded,” Staley said. “We were put in the position where she guarded Kentucky’s big Clara Strack. We know she’s fearless when it comes to who she’s guarding. She takes really great pride in not letting people score on her. When you have a guard like that that has elite defensive skills, you let ’em be great.”

This performance has also added to Raven’s 2026 draft stock. She was expected to be a No. 7 pick per the Athletic but this performance could have taken her up another notch and gotten her to the top 5. “Raven’s one of the best defensive prospects I’ve ever seen. 5’9 guarding everywhere,” WNBA scout Hunter Cruse wrote. For now, her focus will be on the National Championship game against UCLA.