Caitlin Clark, Monika Czinano share final breakdown of NCAA Tournament run

CAITLIN CLARK: Obviously foul trouble not really what you want in a National Championship Game, especially for our two seniors who have given so much to this program and had to finish their career on the bench. It’s not something they deserved by any means.

I thought they called it very, very tight. I don’t know about the two push-offs in the second quarter. I’m sure they saw that I pushed off and they called it and whatnot, and then hit with the technical foul in the third for throwing the ball under the basket.

Sometimes that’s how things go. I thought all I could do is respond and come back out there and keep fighting and keep trying to help this team crawl back into the game.

I’m just proud of this group because we never gave up. We could have gone into halftime and been like what did we do? But our halftime locker room was like we’re fine. We got this. We believe in one another. We have the offensive fire power to come out here and cause some damage.

I thought it showed our fight. It showed our fight, this team, and that’s what the story has been all year long, just a bunch of fight and mental toughness.

You’ve got to give a lot of credit to LSU. They played an outstanding, outstanding game. They made some tough threes, some tough jumpers off of ball screens, and sometimes you have to live with some of that. So, yeah.

MONIKA CZINANO: She’s a phenomenal basketball player. She’s showed that time and time again. But I think the biggest thing is the way she holds herself and the way she plays the game.

She’s doing it the right way. She’s doing it the fun way and being a role model for little kids who want to grow up and be like here. That’s a great thing.

So I think in these past three weeks, she’s done so much but it’s not just these three weeks. She’s been doing it since she decided to play basketball. It’s a progression to this point. We all know what a phenomenal basketball player she is, but it’s the person she is behind it all that’s inspiring these kids as well.

CAITLIN CLARK: I think the biggest thing is it’s really, really special. I don’t think it’s going to set in for me for quite some time.

I want my legacy to be the impact that I can have on young kids and the people in the state of Iowa, and I hope I brought them a lot of joy this season. I hope this team brought them a lot of joy. I understand we came up one win short, but I think we have a lot to be proud of and a lot to celebrate.

I was just that young girl, so all you have to do is dream, and you can be in moments like this.

MONIKA CZINANO: I think it’s huge for us. It just shows the hard work that Coach Bluder and this coaching staff have been putting in. It was long before this team did this.

They’re just doing it the right way. I keep saying it all the time, but we truly are a family. They built something truly special there. I wouldn’t have wanted to do this anywhere else, with any other team, with any other group of people. So it’s truly been an honor.

MONIKA CZINANO: I don’t really think that’s a great question for me to answer honestly. I’m going to leave that up to whatever powers may be.

We can’t live in the past. All we can do is live in the moment. That game happened. Those calls were called. Going forward, we’ll see what people decide what to do about it.

As of right now, I’m just so proud of what this team has done despite adversity. Throughout the entire season, we’ve come out and given it our all. That’s all you can do in any given situation is put your heart into it and believe, and we did that.

CAITLIN CLARK: Well, I was really bummed that somebody who has made me a really, really good player had to spend the last five minutes on the bench out of six minutes on the bench, and somebody who has given so much to our program.

Monika is one of the most fun people to be around. She’s goofy, and she deserved a little better than that. Monika would tell you when she first got here, she never dreamed to be as good as she is, and I still don’t think she realizes how good she is, and other people don’t realize it either. She doesn’t get the credit she deserves.

I told her after the game, I’m nothing without you. She’s made me a better person, a better basketball player. And I’m just really lucky that I was able to play with Mon and share a lot of really fun moments with her.

I think we’re one of the best post-guard duos to play the game, and I’m just really lucky and grateful to have had these years together.

MONIKA CZINANO: I think just the belief we had in the locker room. Nobody doubted, we know the offensive fire power we have. We know no game is unachievable for us. Unfortunately it ended the way it did.

We’re the No. 1 offense in the country. We have the means to get back into anything. I think that was the talk coming in.

Obviously we know on the defensive end we had to sharpen it up a bit, and I think we did. We had stretches of that. Basketball is a game of runs. I think we went on a pretty great one.

CAITLIN CLARK: I think it’s just the belief in one another. We know how good our offense is, and at the same time, they might cool off a little bit. I’m not really sure if they cooled off a little bit.

The story of the first half is No. 2, she comes in, Carson, and makes quite a few shots, and ends it with a banked three. It’s like all right. You never hang your head. You just come out and keep fighting.

We just know it’s only one possession at a time. You’ve got to get a stop and come back and score. We cut it to seven there eventually, but we couldn’t quite get over the hump. Having foul trouble can hinder you at times too.

Proud of this team’s fight because a lot of teams would probably hang their head and give up with a halftime deficit like that, but that wasn’t what we’re going to do.

MONIKA CZINANO: I just hope people saw how much fun I played with. I love this game, and I love it for the team. Basketball is fun to me, but I didn’t even like it all the time growing up. But I love being on a team and feeling like a part of something. That’s what I felt here at Iowa.

I’m glad people like my drop step. I worked hard on it, so did she. I think it’s more just the whole legacy we have here. Yeah, I don’t even know what I just said, but go for it.

CAITLIN CLARK: I didn’t know that. I don’t know, I just think — first of all, I probably could have attacked the rim a little more than I did tonight. I thought they played really good defense. I thought they had people waiting in the paint for me a little more than South Carolina did.

Took some there at the end of the game that you just kind of have to get up in hopes of drawing your team back close. It certainly helps breaking a record when you get to play the maximum amount of games in a season, and that’s what I’m proud of.

This group, we got to play the entire time, and I think that’s what bums me out the most about this is I knew this was our last 40 minutes together, and I was just trying to cherish it. Yeah, I’m sad that we lost, don’t get me wrong, but I’m more sad that I don’t get to come back to practice with my best friends tomorrow, and that really stinks.

CAITLIN CLARK: Honestly, I have no idea. I was just trying to get to the handshake line and shake hands and be grateful that my team was in that position. That’s all you can do is hold your head high, be proud of what you did.

All the credit in the world to LSU. They were tremendous. They deserve it. They had a tremendous season. Kim Mulkey coached them so, so well. She’s one of the best basketball coaches of all time, and it shows. She only said really kind things to me in the handshake line, so I’m very grateful to that too.

But honestly I have no idea. I was just trying to spend the last few moments on the court with especially the five people that I’ve started 93 games with and relishing every second of that.

CAITLIN CLARK: I think — you know, I’m not really worried about what’s next, not right now. I’m just going to enjoy what we did. We made history, and there’s a lot to be proud of. There’s a lot to reflect on these last couple weeks. Three weeks have been crazy, to say the least. I’m just thankful that I got to be on this journey with these people.

I think more than anything we’re losing two seniors that gave their heart and soul to this program. Obviously I think they set a really good example for other people that we have in that locker room of what it takes to be able to play at this level on this stage. I’m really grateful that that’s what they did because we have to bring people along and bring people up to get back to this point.

This is our goal every single year. We’re not just going to be satisfied with making it here one time, but at the same time, I’m not worried about what’s next right now. It’s been a really long, really fun season with this group. I just need to take some time to reflect and appreciate all that’s come with it.

MONIKA CZINANO: I love it. This is the game we love and seeing it get the recognition it deserves is obviously super rewarding. It’s about time women’s basketball gets this kind of viewership, and it can only go up.

So I’m super excited. I’m super proud to be part of this team that gets to be part of this journey. My past five years here, I’ve seen the game grow more than I ever thought it could.

I’m just so grateful that the sport we love and give our heart to, I’m just so glad that so many people are tuning in and loving it so much.

MONIKA CZINANO: Right now I honestly can’t even remember all the adversity we faced, but I just know that me as a person, I’m a better woman, a better person, because of this coaching staff and this team. I’ve grown individually, not even considering basketball, in a way I never thought I could. That’s just a credit to my teammates and my coaches.

I truly, I keep saying it, but I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else because I wouldn’t be who I am now, and that’s the best version of myself. So I’m super proud of everybody, and I wouldn’t have wanted to do it at any other place.

MONIKA CZINANO: Buckle up. I mean, it’s only going to get more exciting and more fun. The game is evolving in such a great way.

I’m glad you’re tuning in now, but keep it up.

CAITLIN CLARK: Yeah, I think the same. I think once people really turn on the TV or come and sit in the seat, they see how good the product is and how fun the game is. Our team plays it the right way. They play basketball the right way.

They have a lot of fun doing it, but at the same time, they understand there’s more to life than just basketball. I think that’s the biggest thing is just when people come and watch and understand the game, they see how fun and how great the product is, and they keep coming back for more. So it doesn’t surprise me.