Iowa guard Gabbie Marshall was forced to delete her social media because of hate comments after she drew a decisive offensive foul at the end of the Final Four matchup against UConn.
"I'm not trying to look at it. I've gotten a lot of hate comments," Marshall said during a media availability on Saturday according to ESPN's Andrea Adelson. "I don't know. I'm not the one that made the call. So I'm not sure why they're mad at me personally."
The incident occurred with 10 seconds left in the game with the UConn Huskies down only one point and in the midst of setting up on offence to potentially score a lead-taking basket.
Huskies forward Aaliyah Edwards was trying to set a pick and create space for Paige Bueckers but was instead called for an offensive foul after Marshall attempted to go over the screen.
The play has drawn a ton of attention online, with many frustrated that the game was potentially decided by a whistle and claiming that there shouldn't have been a call on that play.
"When the right call's the right call, it's not fair to say you can't make that call with 10 seconds left when you can make it with 10 minutes, or two minutes left," Marshall added. "If it's the right call, it's the right call. It's out of my control to make the calls, but personally, I thought it was an illegal screen and it's not like it was the first one of the game."
LeBron James and Kesley 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.
Marshall was given the assignment of trying to stop Bueckers in Friday's contest, a tall task for any defender. It was a physical and gritty game, with the two teams combining for 27 fouls and holding one another below their season averages from the field.
"I feel like it just kind of overlooked the fact that I played my butt off the whole game trying to guard her, I tried to get over screens the whole game. I feel like that one play just kind of consumed everything, that's all anyone's talking about. They're not talking about the fact that it was a great game between two great teams."
Bueckers, who had been on a tear during the NCAA Tournament, finished with only 17 points and three assists on the night. She hadn't scored less than 24 points since March 9 against Providence.
"I can't believe people would be so immature as to attack a 22-year-old for doing their job and doing really, really well," Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said on Saturday.
After taking down UConn, Iowa is moving on to its second-straight national title game and will take on the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday night.
-- With files from the Associated Press
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