Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark shoots against Connecticut Huskies guard Nika Muhl in the second quarter in the semifinals of the Final Four game. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: UConn defense smothers Iowa star Caitlin Clark

If No. 3 UConn advances to the NCAA women's national title game, the Huskies defense will be a major reason why. 

In the first half of Friday's Final Four matchup with No. 1 Iowa, the Huskies did the impossible — stop star Caitlin Clark

UConn frustrated Clark, who finished just 3-of-11 from the field for six points in the first half. Meanwhile, Clark failed to make a three-pointer in the first half of an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in her career, going 0-of-6 from beyond the arc.  

Guard Nika Muhl routinely matched up against Clark and did a superb job. She not only held the all-time leading scorer to single-digit points but frustrated her into making three uncharacteristic turnovers in the opening half. 

Luckily for the Hawkeyes, they only trailed the Huskies by four at the break, 32-26. But, they'll need Clark to bounce back and improve on poor shooting night from the field (38 percent) and three (21 percent) if they hope to advance.  

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