Caitlin Clark circled underneath the LSU basket all alone, her untouchable aura still in tact with an arm raised to victory and another cradling the basketball, as the game clock ticked towards zero — a fitting scene for the woman at the center of nearly every Hawkeye masterstroke Monday. The transcendent star commanded the long-awaited rematch of last season’s championship bout against No. 3 seed LSU with 41 points and 12 assists, contributing directly to 80 percent of Iowa’s field goals and leading the Hawkeyes back to the Final Four with an 94-87 victory.
She took just 17 seconds Monday to sniff out another NCAA record and women’s basketball icon to overtake, surpassing Diana Taurasi with her record 62nd-made NCAA tournament three, and America’s top-ranked offense turned over to a brilliant roar. The Hawkeyes scored on seven of their first nine possessions, and Sydney Affolter converted at the rim to give Iowa an early 17-9 lead and force LSU coach Kim Mulkey to burn a timeout just four minutes into the ballgame.
The fiery Tigers boss awoke her star-studded roster as LSU found itself within just a basket three minutes later, and a balanced scoring attack from the Baton Rouge bunch wore on the Hawkeyes defense. Angel Reese, last season’s tournament MVP, starred Monday with 17 points and 20 rebounds — Reese’s contributions helped LSU build a 23-6 edge on the offensive glass — and scored eight straight Tiger points to give LSU its first lead late in the first quarter at 27-26.
2024 March Madness women’s TV times and schedule (all times ET)
Friday, April 5 — Final Four
(1) South Carolina vs. (3) NC State | 7 p.m. | ESPN
(1) Iowa vs. (3) UConn | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN
Sunday, April 7 — National Championship
TBD vs. TBD | 3 p.m. | ABC
Here are the future sites and dates for the Final Four:
