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With a trip to Cleveland and the 2024 Final Four on the line, LSU and Iowa met up in a rematch of last year’s national championship game where the Tigers won their first title in program history.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Iowa came out firing on all cylinders, making their first six of eight shots to take a 17-9 lead when Kim Mulkey was forced to call a timeout with 6:03 remaining in the first quarter.
Over the next three minutes, LSU went on a 12-6 run before Caitlin Clark hit a layup and the foul for a potential three-point play. The D1’s leading scorer had 10 points early as the Hawkeyes held a 25-21 lead with 3:29 left in the opening frame.
LSU ended the quarter on a 10-0 run to take a 31-26 lead over Iowa. Angel Reese led the Tigers with 10 while Mikaylah Williams had eight for the Tigers. Clark led all scorers with 11 points but had a pair of critical turnovers in that final stretch.
Iowa cut the lead to one through the first seven minutes of the second quarter as the Tigers were up 38-37 with 3:02 remaining in the half. Reese had left the game with an injury, but returned minutes later and got right back to strong defense and points on the other end.
Through the first half, the contest between LSU and Iowa certainly lived up to the billing as it was tied at 45 at halftime. Clark had 19 points on 7-13 shooting while Reese finished the half with 13 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. The half ended with Flau’Jae Johnson hitting a spin move layup to tie the game going into the locker room.
Iowa started the third quarter similarly to the first, with Clark draining a pair of deep, contested threes to take a 55-49 lead and force LSU to take a timeout and regroup. Clark was up to 25 points on 5-10 shooting from downtown.
Clark continued to make contested threes and LSU was rattled by the Hawkeye’s success, shooting just 2-15 from the field in the third quarter to trail 61-52 with 4:23 left in the frame.
Iowa led by 11 at the end of the third, 69-58. LSU had a spurt where they cut it to seven, but the Hawkeyes quickly regained control of the contest heading into the final quarter. Clark had 31 points and eight assists to lead the way.
LSU had early opportunities to cut into Iowa’s lead, but six second-half turnovers really cost the Tigers while Clark continued to make ridiculous threes to pace Iowa. The superstar was up to 37 points with nine made 3s.
Angel Reese fouled out with 1:45 remaining in the game and Iowa walked out of Albany with a big-time 94-87 victory to send the Hawkeyes back to the Final Four.
BIG NUMBER: 37
Caitlin Clark may have gotten 41, but that’s expected. However, the 37 combined points from Kate Martin and Sydney Affolter made the difference as Iowa got revenge over LSU.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Caitlin Clark
Clark was the greatest when her team needed her the most. The guard had 41 points on 13-29 shooting including 9-20 from downtown. She also added 12 assists and seven rebounds.