Iowa star Caitlin Clark wasn't hanging her head following her team's 87-75 defeat to South Carolina in the 2024 national championship.

She already took a longer view of her college career, telling reporters she achieved her goal of reaching the Final Four.

"Looking back now, I think I would just be proud of the way I worked for this moment and earned it," she said. "Nothing was ever given. I was in the gym all the time. I matured a lot mentally and physically. People believed in me, people pushed me, people held me accountable. And those are the things that I'm thankful for and that's why I'm here right now."

Clark said this season "was probably more special than last year," adding she's "proud of myself" and "proud of my teammates."

Clark later said goodbye to Iowa in a couple of social media posts:

Clark laid out why she and her teammates have nothing to be ashamed of from Sunday.

South Carolina was simply the better team. The Gamecocks didn't go 37-0 coming into Sunday by a fluke. They maintained a perfect record through one of the toughest schedules in the country before March Madness got underway.

In Raven Johnson, Dawn Staley had a perimeter defender to keep Clark in check, and 6'7" center Kamilla Cardoso exploited the weakness the Hawkeyes have had inside after Monika Czinano and McKenna Warnock graduated. South Carolina had a 51-29 edge in rebounding and a plus-16 advantage in points in the paint.

Winning a national title would've been the crowning achievement in a legendary career for Clark. Falling short doesn't erase what she and Iowa accomplished over the last two seasons, and the full weight of her legacy won't be known for some time.