Aaron Doster/USA Today Sports/Reuters
The South Carolina Gamecocks celebrate after beating the Iowa Hawkeyes in the NCAA women's basketball national championship on Sunday, April 7.
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Iowa guard Caitlin Clark speaks with the media after the game.
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South Carolina coach Dawn Staley cries during a post-game interview.
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Clark, right, and Kate Martin walk off the court after losing to South Carolina.
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Staley hugs Kamilla Cardoso after the game.
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The Gamecocks celebrate after the game.
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Clark reacts in the second half.
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South Carolina's Bree Hall shoots a three point basket over Clark.
Morry Gash/AP
Clark sits on the bench at the end of the game.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
South Carolina guard Raven Johnson blocks a shot by Clark.
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South Carolina and Iowa players go after a loose ball.
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MiLaysia Fulwiley shoots over Iowa's Hannah Stuelke.
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Iowa's Gabbie Marshall and Cardoso of South Carolina fight for the ball.
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Clark runs down a loose ball between South Carolina guard Raven Johnson and center Cardoso.
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Iowa coach Lisa Bluder reacts.
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Clark stands in the middle of the court.
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Marshall steals the ball from Te-Hina Paopao of South Carolina.
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Stuelke and South Carolina's Chloe Kitts, left, and Cardoso eye a loose ball.
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Paopao dribbles the ball.
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Staley directs her team.
Morry Gash/AP
Fulwiley shoots over Stuelke.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
Clark drives up the court past Raven Johnson.
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Fulwiley attempts a layup.
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Actor Jason Sudeikis, center, watches the game.
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Clark reacts after making a three-point basket.
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Clark shoots against South Carolina Gamecocks guard Hall.
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South Carolina's Ashlyn Watkins works against Martin.
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Iowa guard Kylie Feuerbach, center, fights for a loose ball with South Carolina guards Tessa Johnson, left, and Fulwiley, right.
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South Carolina forward Watkins fights for a rebound with Iowa guard Sydney Affolter, left.
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Clark reacts after being fouled.
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Gamecocks fans cheer during the game.
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South Carolina's Cardoso keeps the ball away from Martin and Stuelke of the Iowa Hawkeyes.
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Clark shoots a three-point basket over Hall.
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Players stand for the national anthem ahead of the game.
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Affolter is introduced ahead of the game.
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South Carolina players huddle before the game.
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Fans arrive at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse ahead of the national championship game between the Hawkeyes and the Gamecocks.
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The Iowa Hawkeyes celebrate after beating the UConn Huskies 71-69 in a Final Four semifinal game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Friday, April 5, in Cleveland.
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Iowa's Caitlin Clark celebrates after the game. Clark finished with 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
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The Hawkeyes celebrate as the Huskies walk off the court after the game.
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Clark shoots a free throw in final moments of the game.
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UConn guard Paige Bueckers lays on the floor in the second half.
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Clark listens to Iowa coach Lisa Bluder during the second half.
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Ice Brady of the UConn Huskies shoots the ball.
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Iowa's Kate Martin gives a thumbs up after sustaining an injury in the second half.
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Martin jumps to defend a shot by Bueckers.
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Iowa Hawkeyes fans hold up signs during the game.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
Iowa players react from the bench during the second half.
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Bluder reacts in the second half.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
Bueckers fights for a loose ball with Iowa guard Gabbie Marshall during the first half. The Huskies held a 32-26 lead at halftime.
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UConn's Aaliyah Edwards looks to shoot in the first half. Edwards scored 17 points during the game.
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Nika Mühl of the UConn Huskies reacts after a foul in the first half.
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UConn's KK Arnold shoots the ball over Clark.
Morry Gash/AP
Martin is fouled by Edwards during the first half.
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Martin and Arnold #2 of the UConn Huskies fight for the ball.
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Clark shoots the ball over UConn's Ashlynn Shade. UConn held Clark to six points, while shooting 3-of-11 from the field, including 0-6 from the three-point line.
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Iowa Hawkeyes huddle at the beginning of the game.
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The Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is pictured in the first half of Iowa's game against UConn.
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South Carolina coach Dawn Staley and guard Bree Hall celebrate after defeating the NC State Wolfpack 78-59 in the Final Four of the women's tournament
C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos/Getty Images
NC State's Zoe Brooks walks off the court after losing to the Gamecocks.
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South Carolina's Ashlyn Watkins shoots the ball in the second half. Watkins scored eight points during the game.
Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos/Getty Images
Staley reacts during the game.
Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports/Reuters
Gamecocks guard MiLaysia Fulwiley controls the ball in the third quarter. Fulwiley scored seven points during the game.
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
NC State's River Baldwin fights Chloe Kitts of South Carolina for possession of the ball in the second half.
Morry Gash/AP
Hall celebrates after making a three-point basket during the second half.
C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos/Getty Images
South Carolina's Sania Feagin attempts a lay up while guarded by Baldwin.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
North Carolina State head coach Wes Moore directs his team during the second half.
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
South Carolina's Raven Johnson drives around Zoe Brooks of NC State during the first half. The Gamecocks let 32-31 at halftime.
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Katie Peneueta of the NC State Wolfpack looks for an opening during the first half.
Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports/Reuters
Fulwiley and Brooks battle for the ball in the second quarter.
Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports/Reuters
NC State's Saniya Rivers moves the ball down court while South Carolina's Raven Johnson guards in the first quarter.
Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos/Getty Images
Kamilla Cardoso of the South Carolina Gamecocks and Saniya Rivers jump for the opening tipoff.
C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos/Getty Images
Cocky the South Carolina Gamecocks mascot cheers before the game.
Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos/Getty Images
NC State Wolfpack players huddle together before tipoff.
C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos/Getty Images
South Carolina's Te-Hina Paopao walks onto the court during player introductions ahead of the game.
CNN  — 

The ratings record for a women’s college basketball game just got shattered – again.

Sunday’s NCAA tournament national title game between undefeated and top overall seed South Carolina and Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes averaged 18.7 million viewers, peaking at 24 million, according to preliminary numbers from Nielsen.

South Carolina won its third national title – all under head coach Dawn Staley – to finish the season 38-0.

“With a record-setting audience of 18.7 million viewers, Sunday’s Iowa-South Carolina title game was a fitting finale to the most-viewed ever NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament,” ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said. “These exceptional athletes, coaches and teams captured our attention in unprecedented ways and it’s incumbent on all of us to keep the incredible momentum going.”

ESPN said the NCAA title game was the second most-watched non-Olympic women’s sporting event ever on US television after the 2015 Women’s World Cup final between the United States and Japan.

It was also the most watched basketball game – including NBA and WNBA – since 2019, according to ESPN.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates after beating the LSU Tigers 94-87 in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at MVP Arena on April 01, 2024 in Albany, New York.

Thanks to Caitlin Clark, women’s basketball is now prime time viewing

Before Sunday’s championship game, which aired on ABC, Clark and the Hawkeyes were part of the top three most-viewed women’s college basketball games of all time: Friday’s Final Four win against UConn (14.2 million), their Elite Eight win against LSU (12.3 million) and last year’s national championship game against LSU (9.9 million).

The 2024 Elite Eight and Final Four aired on ESPN, on cable. The 2023 championship game aired on ABC, which like ESPN is owned by Disney.

The 2024 edition of the title contest drew 89% more viewers than last year and 285% more than 2022 when South Carolina defeated Connecticut.

While celebrating her team’s win, South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley also praised Iowa’s Clark for her contribution to women’s basketball.

“I want to personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport,” Staley said, adding Clark “carried a heavy load.”

“Do I think South Carolina is a part of it? Yeah, we’re a part of it. I don’t know what part, but you can see the numbers that, when Caitlin plays in a game, you see the numbers. They’re real numbers, and a lot of people like to deal in those real numbers,” Staley said.

“I hope we were able to attract some more people by the amount of eyeballs that probably watched our game just because Caitlin was appearing in it.”

CNN’s Thomas Schlachter contributed to this report.