Women's national championship game recap: LSU dominates Iowa for first-ever title

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Women's national championship game recap: LSU dominates Iowa for first-ever title

Lorenzo Reyes, Steve Gardner and Victoria Hernandez, USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports

Sun, Apr 2, 2023 ·

13 min read

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LSU has won its first NCAA women's basketball title, overpowering Iowa with a 102-85 victory on Sunday, scoring the most points ever in a women's title game.

The Tigers used a balanced offensive attack and deadly accurate outside shooting to build a 17-point halftime lead, then held off a valiant comeback effort from the Hawkeyes to claim the title.

Jasmine Carson led LSU with 22 points, 21 of them in the first half, while Alexis Morris scored 16, all in the second half.

Just two years after taking over a downtrodden 9-13 LSU program, coach Kim Mulkey led the Tigers to a 34-2 record and won her fourth national title. She previously led Baylor to championships in 2005, 2012 and 2019.

National player of the year Caitlin Clark paced Iowa with 30.

Center Angel Reese scored 15 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and was named the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player as LSU trounced Iowa in the women's national championship game.

Angel Reese taunts Caitlin Clark

As LSU cruised to a 102-85 win over Iowa in the women's NCAA Tournament championship game, the Tigers' Angel Reese mocked March Madness sensation Caitlin Clark.

Reese hit Clark with the "you can't see me" taunt made famous by John Cena, and then pointed to her ring finger.

It was Clark who busted out the "you can't see me" taunt during Iowa's win over Louisville in the Elite Eight last week, which drew the praise of the pro wrestler-turned-actor Cena .

— Jim Reineking

Final score: LSU 102, Iowa 85

DALLAS — Jasmine Carson scored 22 points off the bench — in just 22 minutes — and third-seeded LSU rolled to a 102-85 win over tournament darling Cinderella Caitlin Clark and Iowa to claim the 2023 national championship.

Guard Jasmine Carson acknowledges the crowd after LSU defeated Iowa for the school's first NCAA women's basketball title.

It was an astonishing performance for Carson, on her third school after stops at Georgia Tech and West Virginia. The Tigers, who are in just year two of the Kim Mulkey era, were pretty good, too. LSU won the rebounding battle 36-26, turning 14 offensive boards into 14 second-chance points. They also hit 10 threes (their season high is 11) and shot 54% from the field, leading for more than 34 minutes.

With the win, Mulkey becomes the first coach in the women's game to lead two schools to national championships (she won three at Baylor).

— Lindsay Schnell

Third quarter: LSU 75, Iowa 64

LSU guard Alexis Morris, left, defends against Iowa's Caitlin Clark in Sunday's women's NCAA championship game in Dallas.

Iowa isn't going away quietly in this NCAA championship game.

After LSU extended a 17-point halftime lead to 21, the Hawkeyes came roarding back in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 11 points entering the final quarter of play.

Caitlin Clark took matters into her own hands, scoring nine points — all on threes to spark Iowa's charge. She leads all scorers in the game with 25.

However, Iowa center Monika Czinano picked up her fourth foul of the game with 1:03 left in the quarter. At the same time, Clark was also whistled for a technical foul, which was her fourth of the game.

Caitlin Clark cringes after picking up a technical foul late in the third quarter just moments after teammate Monika Czinano was whistled for her fourth foul.

Halftime: LSU 59, Iowa 42

Showing incredible accuracy from long range, LSU has opened up a 17-point halftime lead over Iowa, putting the Tigers 20 minutes away from their first national championship.

LSU guard Jasmine Carson celebrates after making a three-point basket against Iowa during the NCAA women's basketball national championship game.

Senior Jasmine Carson has hit all seven of her shots from the field, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer off the glass at the end of the half, on her way to a game-high 21 points.

For the game, LSU is an incredible 9-for-12 from 3-point territory.

Caitlin Clark has 14 for Iowa, all of them in the first quarter. However, she finished the half on the bench after picking up her third foul as LSU extended its lead.

Iowa has turned the ball over 11 times in the first half.

Caitlin Clark sets women's tourney scoring record

On a 3-point field goal with 7:56 to play in the third quarter, Iowa star Caitlin Clark broke Sheryl Swoopes' record for most points in a single NCAA women's tournament.

The long-range bomb gave Clark a total of 178 points and also gave her a record 24th 3-pointer in six tournament games.

Clark entered Sunday's championship with back-to-back games of 40 or more points in her previous two outings.

First quarter: LSU 27, Iowa 22

Iowa center Monika Czinano, left, battles for the ball with LSU forward LaDazhia Williams during the NCAA women's national championship game.

A fast-paced and tightly called first 10 minutes are in the books in the NCAA women's title game with LSU holding a 27-22 lead over Iowa.

Each school's first-team All-American has led the way in the early going.

After topping 40 points in each of her last two tournament games, national player of the year Caitlin Clark has four 3-pointers and 14 points for the Hawkeyes. However, Iowa center Monika Czinano has picked up a couple of quick fouls.

Angel Reese leads the Tigers with seven points, but she and guard Kateri Poole have also picked up two early fouls.

Hawkeyes, Tigers underway for women's crown

The hype is over. Now it's time for the players to decide who will reign supreme.

National player of the year Caitlin Clark has led the way for Iowa throughout the entire NCAA Tournament, averaging 32.2 points per game in the Hawkeyes' five wins.

Meanwhile, Angel Reese has been dominant for LSU, averaging 22.7 points per game and controlling things inside.

Whose team will be crowned national champions? We'll find out in the next 40 minutes (or more).

First Lady Jill Biden on hand for women's title game

No need for the national champions to go to the White House. The White House came to them.

First Lady Jill Biden was at the NCAA women's title game between LSU and Iowa on Sunday. She and President Joe Biden are longtime women's basketball fans, and the president attended several NCAA tournament games when Elena Delle Donne played for Delaware.

The Bidens also went to the men's Final Four in 2016 when he was vice president.

The First Lady was spotted in a box opposite the team benches, sitting with tennis legend Billie Jean King and her wife, Ilana Kloss.

— Nancy Armour

What time does women's national championship game start?

The women's NCAA Tournament final is slated to begin at 3:30 p.m. ETand will be broadcast on ABC. Streaming is available via WatchESPN and ESPN+.

LSU coach Kim Mulkey chooses tiger print for title game attire

LSU head coach Kim Mulkey high-fives fans prior to the women's national championship game against Iowa.

DALLAS – There was no denying that Kim Mulkey was going to pull out all the stops when it came to what she was going to wear for the national championship game.

LSU women's basketball coach did not let down all those chomping at the bit to see what she would wear next .

For the Tigers' matchup with Iowa for the national title, Mulkey is wearing a full tiger-striped pant suit made entirely reversible, two-tone sequins.

After many fans were disappointed with the lack of gaudy in her Elite Eight outfit she wore in the win over Miami in Greenville, South Carolina last weekend – an ensemble that featured a subdued yet bedazzled jacket with white pants – Mulkey stepped back into the flashy with her Final Four fit that was hot pink jacket with large pink flowers on the sleeves from shoulder to wrist.

— Cory Diaz, Lafayette Daily Advertiser

Betting guide: Iowa Hawkeyes favored in women's final

One of the craziest tournaments will conclude with the between No. 2 Iowa (31-6) and No. 3 LSU (33-2) on Sunday. Here's a quick look at some of the odds for Sunday's national championship game. All odds are according to Tipico .

Who's favored?

Iowa is a minus-170 favorite against LSU, which is a plus-145 underdog.

What's the spread?

Iowa is favored by 3 1/2 points over LSU.

What's the over/under?

The over/under for the Iowa-LSU game is listed at 157 1/2 points.

Iowa star Caitlin Clark, like Steph Curry, has redefined what a good shot is in basketball

DALLAS — There are times, occasionally during games and often during practice, when Iowa coach Lisa Bluder's jaw drops.

Did Caitlin Clark really just hit that shot, thread that pass or finish that layup in transition?

Yes, she did and she does — regularly. And it's just as spectacular as you can imagine. Maybe more so.

Clark, the 2023 consensus national player of the year, has become one of the sport's biggest stars and walking highlight reel because of her how-did-she-see-that?! passes and unlimited shooting range. But for as talented and awe-inspiring as Clark herself is, Bluder deserves some credit too. Because she lets Clark be exactly who she is.

But as Bluder herself admits, it took time to cede control .

— Lindsay Schnell

LSU's Alexis Morris calls out Caitlin Clark's 'disrespectful' defense ahead of title game

Pretty much the entire basketball world was amazed by the stunning play and swagger of Caitlin Clark as Iowa knocked off previously undefeated South Carolina in the women's Final Four.

One that wasn't impressed, however, plays for Iowa's next opponent, LSU. The Tigers stand in the way of the Hawkeyes and one of the more incredible title runs the sport has ever seen.

More specifically, Tigers guard Alexis Morris doesn't think Clark can dare LSU to shoot from behind the arc the way she did against the Gamecocks.

"I don't think they can guard us that way," Morris said, according to Sports Illustrated . "I don't think you can just leave me open on the perimeter or leave us open on the perimeter. Me personally, I find it very disrespectful, so I'm going to take that personally going into that game. You're going to have to guard us. That's just the competitor in me, and the will to win."

— Blake Schuster, For The Win

OPINION: Caitlin Clark, Iowa need to finish the job

DALLAS — Friday night's win put Caitlin Clark in position to bring home Iowa's first national championship. The Hawkeyes meet LSU Sunday afternoon in one of the most highly-anticipated — and unlikely — title games in the history of women's basketball.

Want evidence of just how in-demand this game, and this player, are? In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, tickets to Sunday's national championship are more expensive than tickets to Sunday's sold-out Taylor Swift show.

Another difference besides ticket prices: Swift will play the same show in dozens of stadiums around the world. But for for Clark & Co., this is likely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. That means they have to capitalize on the moment .

It's noteworthy, to say the least, this year Iowa beat heavily favored, undefeated and overall No. 1 seed South Carolina. The Hawkeyes slayed the giant — but now they've got to take the castle, and the championship trophy.

— Lindsay Schnell

Morris reunion with Mulkey has NCAA title game finale at LSU

Alexis Morris will finish her college career playing in a national championship game for Kim Mulkey, the coach who five years ago kicked the standout guard off another team .

For Morris, it has been quite a journey of growth and maturation from her freshman season at Baylor and through two other programs before a reunion with Mulkey at LSU that will end on the biggest stage.

"Every player just has that coach that's for them. Coach Mulkey, she's my coach," Morris said Saturday. "I asked God, if you ever gave the opportunity (to play for her again), I will never waste that. I will literally maximize it, maximize the opportunity, and that's what you're witnessing."

Mulkey has known Morris since she was a seventh-grader at a private school in Beaumont, Texas. It was a difficult decision to dismiss her from Baylor's team in September 2018 after what was called an unspecified violation of team rules. The school didn't offer any details then and they haven never been detailed publicly by Mulkey or Morris, though the player does accept responsibility for what she called a "youthful mistake."

— Associated Press

Iowa's Caitlin Clark steals show with performance for the ages

DALLAS – No way the Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark Showdown could live up to the hype. Not after two years of anticipation and sky-high expectations.

Turns out, it was even better .

Clark met the moment and then some with a performance for the ages Friday night. Instead of shrinking under the pressure, she shined, draining 3-pointers, breaking ankles and firing pinpoint passes South Carolina could only watch whiz by. She finished with 41 points and eight assists in Iowa's 77-73 victory that snapped the defending champion's 42-game winning streak and sent the Hawkeyes to their first national title game.

"I think she's the most phenomenal basketball player in America. I just don't think there's anyone like her," Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. "She had the ball in her hands almost all the time tonight against some pretty good defensive players."

— Nancy Armour

Women's Final Four does big ratings for ESPN

With South Carolina's Aliyah Boston and Iowa's Caitlin Clark facing off in the women's Final Four on Friday night, ratings were expected to be high.

They were record-setting for ESPN , the network announced Saturday.

ESPN, which broadcast both NCAA Tournament semifinal games, said the LSU-Virginia Tech early game averaged 3.4 million viewers with a peak of 5 million across network platforms. That was up 57% from last year's early game.

Iowa-South Carolina averaged 5.5 million with a peak of 6.6 million, up 72% from last year's late game.

Both games drew record audiences for a college basketball game – men's or women's – on ESPN+, the network said.

— Mike Brehm

South Carolina star Aliyah Boston declares for WNBA Draft

South Carolina star Aliyah Boston is declaring for the WNBA draft . She is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick.

"In this moment, I am truly breathless as I make the next best decision of my life," Boston said in a statement. "I have decided to further pursue my dream by declaring for the 2023 WNBA Draft."

— Jaylon Thompson

Dawn Staley calls out national media, Iowa coach's 'bar fight' comments

DALLAS – Dawn Staley has heard enough.

The South Carolina women's basketball coach was asked about the way her team is labeled publicly for their physical style of play after being upset in the Final Four by Iowa. Staley set the record straight about her team , which she said "exemplifies how you need to approach basketball on the court and off the court."

"We're not bar fighters. We're not thugs. We're not monkeys. We're not street fighters," Staley said. "I do think that that's sometimes brought into the game, and it hurts."

— Cora Hall, Knoxville News Sentinel

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Women's national title game recap: LSU defeats Iowa 102-85

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