CLEVELAND — Iowa guard Gabbie Marshall said Saturday she received “hate comments” from people upset about her role in a much-discussed foul call late in the Hawkeyes' Final Four win over UConn.
Marshall responded by “kind of” deleting her social media apps from her phone, she said.
Referees called Huskies forward Aaliyah Edwards for an illegal screen on Marshall with 3.9 seconds remaining and UConn trailing by one. The Huskies never got the ball back as Iowa held on for a 71-69 victory Friday night and a spot in Sunday's title game against unbeaten South Carolina.
Marshall was trying to guard UConn star Paige Bueckers when Edwards attempted to set a screen that would have freed up space for Bueckers to get off a shot. Edwards was not set — as the rules stipulate — when Marshall arrived, with the 5-foot-9 Marshall catching a portion of the 6-3 Edwards' left elbow.
The contact was enough to draw a whistle, and Marshall was animated in her reaction, pointing down the court as if to say “our ball.”
The sequence drew plenty of criticism from fans and onlookers.
LeBron James and Kelsey Plum were among those who said on social media they disagreed with the call. Marshall believes the attention the call has received overshadowed Iowa's win and her performance guarding Bueckers, who finished with 17 points on 7-of-17 shooting.
“I feel like it just kind of overlooked the fact that I played my butt off the whole game trying to guard her,” Marshall said. “I’ve tried to get over screens the whole game. I feel like that one play just kind of consumed everything.”
Marshall pointed out she wasn't the one who blew the whistle, so she's “not sure why they're mad at me personally.”
Iowa coach Lisa Bluder chastised those who took aim at Marshall.
“I can’t believe people would be so immature as to attack a 22-year-old on doing their job and doing it really, really well,” Bluder said.