Let the hype begin!
Caitlin Clark had 29 points and 15 assists in the women's NCAA Tournament on Saturday as No. 1 seed Iowa State defeated No. 5 seed Colorado 89-68 and defeated LSU in last year's national title game. A rematch has been decided.
“I think we're excited. Anytime we have a chance to play against an opponent we lost to, we have a little more energy,” Clark said. “Overall, I think it's going to be a really great game for women's basketball. One through five is really solid. We know we have to rebound the basketball.”
The Tigers, who defeated the Hawkeyes in the championship game a year ago, defeated UCLA in the Albany 2 Region semifinals on Saturday. Both teams will play on Monday night.
“I think everyone's pretty excited,” Iowa coach Lisa Bruder said. “These are two really good basketball teams. It's unfortunate that they're meeting so soon. Everybody that's left now is really good. LSU is that for sure. Very emotional. competition will be fierce.”
Clark gave the Hawkeyes (32-4) an early lead, driving to the basket for easy layups and throwing great passes. The only thing missing from Clark's day was her one of her signature midcourt logo shots. She took a few, but she missed them.
The NCAA's all-time Division I leading scorer also shined off the court. She is an incredible player who has brought record ratings and attendance to this sport. The sold-out crowd was filled with young boys and girls wearing No. 22 Iowa uniforms, cheering every play by their favorite players. Clark signed autographs for a few minutes after the buzzer and then returned to the locker room.
Clark made a beautiful bounce pass to Hannah Stuelke for a layup before the end of the first quarter, giving the Hawkeyes a 22-14 lead. Clark had six points, six assists and three rebounds in the first 10 minutes.
She finished the first half with 15 points and eight assists as the Hawkeyes led 48-35 at halftime.
Iowa scored the first six points of the third quarter, but Colorado (24-10) couldn't get within single digits the rest of the way.
“We had a punch to start the third quarter,” Bruder said. “It was really important to set the tone early in both halves.”
The Buffaloes made back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances for the first time since the 2002-03 season. Last year, they lost to Iowa in the same round, 87-77.
Aaronette Fonleh scored 13 points and Frieda Forman 12 points for the Buffs.
“It's tough. I never want to go out like that,” said Jaylin Sherrod of Colorado. “There are some things we can all look back on and say we could have done better. I'm proud of this team.”
balanced scoring
Clark got his teammates involved. Sydney Affolter made all six shots and scored 15 points. Kate Martin and Gabby Marshall each added 14 and combined for six 3-pointers.
climb up the charts
Clark moved into sixth place in college basketball history with 3,859 points. She passed Miriam Walker-Samuels and Deb Lemmerde, who played in the NAIA. Walker-Samuels had 3,855 points, with Lemmerde just one spot behind her. It will be difficult for Clark to crack the top five, as Grace Beyer follows with 3,961 points.
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The NCAA couldn't have asked for a better matchup in the regional final than LSU and Iowa, who will play for a chance to advance to the Final Four in Cleveland.
