‘That call sucked’: Iowa-UConn March Madness clash ends in controversy

It’s hardly an enormous recreation lately with out an especially controversial officiating determination.

UConn pressured back-to-back turnovers and had the ball, trailing 70-69, with 10 seconds left after calling timeout.

But Aaliyah Edwards was subsequently referred to as for an unlawful display, and the whistle gave the impression to be extraordinarily marginal.

Gabbie Marshall, who was screened by Edwards, actually appeared to promote the decision, as Edwards hardly moved after planting and establishing herself for the display.

Edwards moved her left leg barely into Edwards, but it surely didn’t appear to be sufficient to warrant the decision, particularly with how the sport was officiated up till that time.

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UConn then fouled Caitlin Clark, who hit 1 of two free throws earlier than Iowa held on to win, 71-69.

It marred what ended up being an exhilarating Final Four conflict that lived as much as all of the billing.

And it instantly drew widescale condemnation.

ESPN’s Andraya Carter on “SportsCenter” went so far as to say: “I don’t even know if I can say this on TV, but that call sucked.”

LeBron James echoed that sentiment.

“NAAAAAHHHHHH!!!” he posted on X. “I ain’t rolling with that call.”

UConn legend and Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi chimed in as nicely.

“That’s a terrible call,” she stated on the postgame present. “We always talk about, let the players decide the game, especially a benign call like that where you really didn’t affect the player. They still got over the screen, it’s just tough to end the game like that. … You want players to decide it, and we didn’t get that tonight, which was disappointing.”

Even former LSU famous person Angel Reese, whose Tigers have been eradicated by Iowa within the Elite Eight, had the identical sentiment.

“Wait was that screen not set clean?” she wrote on X.

The Hawkeyes will face undefeated South Carolina within the NCAA Tournament championship recreation.

Clark overcame early struggles to complete with 21 factors, whereas Hannah Stuelke led Iowa in scoring with 23. Paige Bueckers and Edwards led UConn in scoring with 17 apiece.

This article first appeared on The New York Postand was reproduced with permission.