The LSU Tigers used a dominant first half to take care of Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes to capture the university’s first NCAA women’s basketball National Championship, 102-85.
LSU went into their locker room riding high with a 17-point lead after their first half, where Jasmine Carson was unconscious from the field.
Carson dropped a team-high 22 points, all of which came in the first half after she went a perfect 7-of-7 from the field with five perfect three-pointers.
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Last-Tear Poa #13 of the LSU Lady Tigers reacts during the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament championship game at American Airlines Center on April 02, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
But Carson only took one second-half shot, missing the three-pointer. Instead of her contributions, Alexis Morris took over for the Tigers, as she put up 16 second-half points after having only two after the first half.
In the fourth quarter, Morris was getting 1-on-1 opportunities and making the most of them, using mid-range jumpers to do so. She finished the game with 21 points, nine assists and two rebounds.
As the Tigers continued to keep their lead at double digits in the fourth, head coach Kim Mulkey knew she was going to hoist the trophy with her team when Angel Reese knocked down a dagger three-pointer to make it 98-82.
Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes reacts during the third quarter against the LSU Lady Tigers during the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament championship game at American Airlines Center on April 02, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
For Mulkey, it’s her first national championship since she won it with the Baylor Bears during the 2018-19 season. It is the fourth of her coaching career, but the first at LSU.
Reese, who dropped 15 points, was seen pointing to her ring finger after hitting the shot.
Hawkeyes star and national player of the year, Caitlin Clark, tried her hardest to get Iowa back in the game, but her efforts weren’t enough. Clark finished the game with 30 points on 9-of-22 from the field, including 8-of-19 from three-point land.
The Hawkeyes started the second half well, winning the third quarter, 22-16, and even got the lead down to only eight. But the Tigers found their pace again and got contributions from everywhere offensively.
Flau’jae Johnson #4 and Last-Tear Poa #13 of the LSU Lady Tigers react during the second quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament championship game at American Airlines Center on April 02, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
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LaDazhia Williams also tallied 20 points for the Tigers, while Flau’jae Johnson had 10 points, seven boards and four assists.
