LSU blitzes Iowa, Caitlin Clark for sizzling national title fueled by bench hero Jasmine Carson
Iowa #Iowa
What a turnaround for LSU.
In a game marked by sizzling offense and marred by foul controversy, LSU blitzed Iowa with a stunning offensive showing on Sunday for a 102-85 win to secure the NCAA championship. The LSU point total was the highest-ever in a women’s championship.
Iowa star Caitlin Clark got off to a torrid star and finished the game with 30 points and a handful of her own NCAA records. But a second-quarter onslaught by Jasmine Carson and the LSU bench proved too much to overcome as the Tigers secured the program’s first national title in Kim Mulkey’s second year as head coach. The win marks a stunning turnaround for a program that finished 9-13 just two seasons ago. The national title is Mulkey’s fourth as a head coach, with her previous three arriving at Baylor.
Angel Reese secured Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors. She finished Sunday’s game with 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, following up a 24-point, 12-rebound effort in Friday’s Final Four win over Virginia Tech.
But it was Carson who sparked Sunday’s win with a 21-point first-half effort off the bench. She entered Sunday averaging 8.4 points per game. She tallied 11 points the entire tournament and was scoreless in her three previous games. She finished Sunday with a team-high 22 points while shooting 7 of 8 from the field and 5 of 6 from 3-point distance.
Her fifth and final 3-pointer bounced off the glass and in to cap a frantic second quarter at the buzzer. LSU went into halftime with a 59-42 lead.
Carson finished the first half shooting 7 of 7 from the field for a game-high 21 first-half points. LSU’s 59 halftime points were the most ever in a championship game.
“Most of the starters, they’ve got found trouble,” Carson told ESPN’s Holly Rowe at halftime. “I’ve been working for this my whole life. It just feels great to finally display it on this stage.”
She didn’t hit another field goal. She didn’t need to. The Tigers fended off a third-quarter Iowa rally then maintained control in the fourth as foul trouble and the LSU offense proved too much for the Hawkeyes to overcome.
Foul trouble dogged both teams in the first half and throughout the game. Five LSU players picked up two fouls before halftime, including Reese, who was limited to nine first-half minutes. Three Iowa players had two or more including Clark, who picked up her third on offense with 3:26 left in the second quarter. She finished the first half on the bench.
The foul issues set the table for LSU’s bench to take over. Led by Carson’s 21, LSU’s bench outscored Iowa’s 29-2 before halftime. But Iowa punched back after halftime.
LSU scored the first four points of the second half, but the Hawkeyes responded with a 15-2 run to cut their 21-point deficit to 65-57. Clark hit two 3-pointers during the run and broke Sheryl Swoopes’ single-game tournament scoring record of 177 points along the way. Her seventh 3-pointer cut LSU’s lead to 69-60 and set and NCAA championship game record for most in a game. Her 31 total 3-pointers also set a record for a single NCAA tournament. But foul trouble caught up with Iowa again as the quarter ended.
With 1:03 remaining, Iowa’s best two players picked up their fourth fouls on the same possession. Monika Czinano was whistled for a defensive foul. Clark then picked up a technical foul batting the ball out of bounds as Iowa entered its huddle. She didn’t appear to say anything to officials.
LSU finished the third with a 75-64 lead. Clark didn’t stay on the bench for long. She returned to the court for the start of the fourth. Czinano returned moments later, but fouled out while setting a screen with 6:25 remaining. A fifth-year senior, she watched the rest of the game and her college career from the bench.
Clark remained in the game, and her 30 points were a game-high. But LSU’s advantage proved too much to overcome.