Gamecock Digest

How Raven Johnson Put The Clamps On Caitlin Clark In The Gamecocks' National Title Win Over Iowa

Andrew Lyon

Apr 7, 2024; Cleveland, OH, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) dribbles the ball against South Carolina guard Raven Johnson (25)
Apr 7, 2024; Cleveland, OH, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) dribbles the ball against South Carolina guard Raven Johnson (25) / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

At the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, Caitlin Clark averaged 31.6 points on 45.5 percent shooting from the floor overall and 37.8 percent from behind the arc. At the end of the first quarter in today's national title game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Iowa Hawkeyes, Clark was on pace to hit all of those marks, scoring 18 points on 62.5 percent shooting from the floor, including three three-point makes.

However, Clark would finish the game with just 30 points on an extremely inefficient 35.7 percent shooting on 28 shots from the floor, which can be largely attributed to the defensive effort of Gamecock point guard Raven Johnson. Johnson essentially left her left side open all game, allowing the right-handed Caitlin to drive to her dominant side, where the stats show that she's far less likely to take jump shots. The plan worked perfectly, with Clark having five assists compared to four turnovers and only making five 2-point field goal attempts throughout the contest.

After the game, Raven talked about the prep that went into the assignment and how it affected her during the game, ultimately giving high praise to the national player of the year.

"I think it just started for me [by] watching her moves, [and] just doing some film [study] on my own," Johnson recalled. "I think yesterday I talked to my uncle about how to guard her, and I think he helped me, and you know [Caitlin's] a great player. Don't get me wrong. She tired me out. On the offensive end, I was so tired. At halftime, I was breathing so hard I was like, "Dang. This girl right here. Geez, like, who else can guard her?', but I definitely give flowers to her. She had a terrific season. Just the things that she did for women's basketball, so hats off to her, and I wish her the best of luck at the next level, and I think she's gonna crush it."

Most people came into the game wondering who would be Clark's primary defender and whether South Carolina had anyone who could even contain her. As it turned out, Raven was the answer on both fronts, capping off her revenge season with arguably the most notable defensive performance of her career.

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Andrew Lyon
ANDREW LYON

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