NCAA Tournament: Clark dazzles with 41 points as Iowa beat LSU to reach Final Four
Caitlin Clark had 41 points and 12 assists in a sensational performance as Iowa knocked defending champion LSU out of the women’s NCAA Tournament with a 94-87 victory Monday night, sending the Hawkeyes to their second straight Final Four.
“This one probably feels a little better. It’s my last year with this group,” Clark said. “Many people blamed us at the beginning of this year for the people we lost. And all we did was work really hard. It’s really hard to come back here. This region was packed with talent. The job is not finished yet.”
Top-seeded Iowa (33-4) will play in Cleveland in the national semifinals on Friday night.
Monday’s highly anticipated game was a rematch of last year’s national championship game won by LSU, which drew a record 9.9 million viewers. Both teams wished this meeting had happened later in the tournament instead of with a Final Four berth on the line, but that was out of their control.
Clark, who also scored 41 points in last year’s regional finals, and LSU’s Angel Reese put on a memorable show for the sold-out crowd and millions of spectators.
With the score tied at 45-45 after an entertaining first half, Clark took over in the third quarter. The NCAA Division I all-time scoring leader hit four 3-pointers, each deeper than the last. Her fourth of the quarter, from her signature logo sequence, made it 61-52. It was also the 538th of her career, making her the all-time leader in that category among NCAA Division I players, passing Oklahoma’s Taylor Robertson.
Flau’jae Johnson scored 23 points for LSU (31-6), which fell short of becoming the first repeat champion since UConn in 2016. Reese finished with 17 points and 20 rebounds before fouling out with 1:45 to go made.
Iowa’s lead increased to 65-52 before LSU scored six straight points. The Tigers trailed 69-58 heading into the fourth quarter before scoring the first five points to get within 69-63.
But they didn’t get any closer because Clark wouldn’t let the Hawkeyes lose. Her ninth three-pointer, which tied the NCAA record for most in a tournament game, made it 80-69 with 5:05 remaining. She pumped her chest as she ran back down the field and shouted to the crowd.
“We really knew it was on the defensive side. We knew we could do well on offense,” said Clark, who was named the region’s Most Outstanding Player. “We have been great on offense all year. I think it was just stopping and being physical. They rebounded the ball very well, but we weathered every storm. You have to give them a lot of credit. They had a great year.”
Clark has already declared for this year’s WNBA draft. Reese will also have to make a decision on whether he will turn pro or return for another season.
The game started quickly and the first quarter was an attacking clinic from both teams. Clark got the scoring going early, much to the delight of a pro-Iowa crowd. She hit a 3 to start the game, breaking a tie with Diana Taurasi for most three-pointers in NCAA tournament history.
Iowa led 17-9 before LSU coach Kim Mulkey called a timeout. That seemed to calm her team down as the Tigers outscored the Hawkeyes 22-9 the rest of the quarter behind Reese, who finished the first ten minutes with 10 points, five rebounds and three assists, along with two steals.
The Tigers had a shock in the second quarter when Reese went down trying to block Clark’s shot. She went to the baseline and jumped off the field. The trainers looked at her right ankle and she rode a stationary bike for a few minutes before returning to the competition. Reese entered the field a little slower, but otherwise seemed unaffected.
Johnson made an acrobatic shot just before the halftime buzzer to tie the game. Clark had 19 points in the first half.