Tigers On Top 🐯

04/03/2023 Tigers On Top 🐯

By: Jeff Yoder

LSU Upsets Iowa & Caitlin Clark (102-85) for 1st National Championship

Upset, Tigers! The game’s greatest shooter met the game’s greatest shooting performance on Sunday afternoon in Dallas for the Women’s NCAA National Championship. After Caitlin Clark led the Hawkeyes to a takedown of unbeaten South Carolina on Friday with another iconic 41-point performance, Sunday’s title game belonged to LSU with a sharpshooting clinic of their own, and some of the worst officiating basketball fans have ever seen. The women’s Final Four set all sorts of rating records, and it culminated with Kim Mulkey and Angel Reese bringing LSU the first championship in program history. Let’s rewind the Women’s NCAA Final Four.

 

The Final Four Rewind

Both 1-seeds fell in the Final Four on Friday with LSU using a fourth-quarter comeback to beat Virginia Tech (79-72) and Caitlin Clark notching her second consecutive 41-point game as Iowa ousted unbeaten South Carolina (77-73). The Iowa-South Carolina game was the most-watched semifinal in women’s NCAA Tournament history.

 

Semi-Final Highlights

#2 Iowa def. #1 South Carolina (77-73)

#3 LSU def. #1 Virginia Tech (79-72)

 

Caitlin Clark’s Tourney Takeover

With 30 points in the title game, Clark finished the 2023 NCAA Tournament with 191 points (31.8 ppg) — breaking Sheryl Swoopes’s record of 177 points. She also eclipsed the tournament record for most 3s (25) and assists (60). And while Iowa hit 14 triples in the finale (eight from Clark), it wasn’t enough to deal with LSU’s 102-point offensive onslaught.

 

How LSU Won the Title Game

Clark came out firing early in the finale, but LSU was the hotter team as buckets came pouring in from multiple players. The Tigers put up 59 first-half points (59-42) as multiple LSU shooters were red-hot. Iowa climbed back in the third quarter to pull within single digits, but LSU continued to push the Hawkeyes to the limit. The frustration mounted as Clark picked up a technical foul in the third quarter, and LSU stepped on the gas. The Tigers continued firing at an alarming clip from deep. They finished 11-for-17 from beyond the arc (64.7 percent) en route to a 17-point win (102-85) and the first title in program history.

 

Championship Game Top Performers

C. Clark (IOWA): 30 points, 8 assists

J. Carson (LSU): 22 points

A. Morris (LSU): 21 points, 9 assists

L. Williams (LSU): 20 points, 5 rebounds

 

Tournament MVP: Angel Reese (LSU)

Title Game: 15 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 1 block

 

The LSU trio of role players — Jasmine Carson, Last-Tear Poa, and Kateri Poole — shot a combined 9-for-10 from 3-point range.

 

Mulkey’s Moment

It was two years ago when Kim Mulkey shocked the college basketball world and left Baylor for LSU. In 21 seasons at Baylor, Mulkey led the Bears to the top of the mountain with five Final Fours and three NCAA Championships. Leaving for LSU surprised everyone, but she just delivered the Tigers’ first championship in Year 2.

 

LSU finished the year 34-2 with those losses coming at South Carolina and in the season’s home finale against Tennessee. And in a year that saw the Gamecocks start 36-0 and come up short while Clark shattered records and put on a show, it’s Mulkey, Reese and LSU who raise the trophy. Congrats to the Tigers, your women’s NCAA Tournament champs!

 

Watch: LSU Beats Iowa (102-85) to Win 1st National Championship

 

Additional Storylines

CBS Sports: LSU Runs Over Iowa to Win National Title

SI: LSU Tops Iowa to Win 1st Women’s Basketball Title in Program History

Yahoo! Sports: Refs Ruin Iowa-LSU Title Game With Awful Officiating

Draft Kings: ESPN Draws Record Ratings for Women’s Final Four & South Carolina-Iowa Game

 

Photo: Tom Pennington / Getty Images