Iowa WBB Beats LSU, Returns to Final Four
The Final Four is once again Hawkeye territory.
Behind yet another dazzling, record-breaking performance from the incomparable Caitlin Clark, Iowa, the 1-seed in the Albany 2 bracket, dispatched LSU, the 3-seed in the bracket, 94-87. The win sends Iowa back to the Final Four for the second consecutive season and for the third time in program history.
The showstopper was -- who else? -- Clark, who followed up her 29-point, 15-assist, 6-rebound effort in Iowa's win over Colorado with 41 points, 12 assists, and 7 rebounds. Clark tied the NCAA Tournament single-game record for three-pointers with nine and her long-range shooting in the third quarter was crucial as Iowa built a lead it would not relinquish.
After a hot start (Iowa led 15-6 minutes into the game), LSU roared back in the first quarter and took a 31-26 lead after 10 minutes. Iowa evened up the game in the second quarter as LSU cooled off, shooting just 5-of-18 in the second frame. The game was tied 45-all at halftime, before Clark took over in the third quarter.
Clark scored 12 points in the third, all coming on a series of increasingly deep 3-point attempts. Clark found the proverbial zone in that period.
Her hot shooting from deep, combined with some more good defense from the Hawkeyes on the other end (and some cold shooting from LSU; the Tigers went 5-of-26 in that quarter), allowed Iowa to open up a 69-58 lead heading into the final quarter.
LSU used a late scoring flurry to out-score Iowa in the final quarter, but never got close enough to seriously threaten the Hawkeyes. An Aneesah Morrow layup cut Iowa's lead to six points (69-63) early in the quarter, but an Addison O'Grady free throw on the subsequent possession pushed the Iowa lead back to seven and LSU never got closer than that the rest of the way.
While Clark's incandescent performance will (understandably) dominate the headlines, Iowa got strong efforts from her supporting cast as well. Kate Martin finished with 21 points (16 after halftime) and six rebounds, while Sydney Affolter had 16 points and five rebounds as well. Addison O'Grady also had five points and four rebounds off the bench, but her biggest contribution was with her defense, as her presence helped slow down LSU's star posts, Angel Reese and Aneesah Morrow.
We'll have a more thorough recap up in a bit, along with quotes from Clark, Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder, and (much) more. But for now, the biggest news is this: the Hawkeyes have conquered the Albany 2 bracket, defeated the team that ended their season a year ago, and are headed back to the Final Four in Cleveland. Iowa will play UConn on Friday, April 5, with tipoff scheduled for approximately 8:30 PM CT on ESPN.