Caitlin Clark’s 41-Point, 12-Assist Explosion Led Iowa Over LSU To Reach The Final Four

Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes are headed to the Final Four for the second consecutive season. In the most anticipated game of the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament to this point, Iowa and LSU squared off in a rematch of the 2023 national final and, while the game was both riveting and competitive throughout, Clark finished with 41 points and 12 assists to lead Iowa to a 94-87 victory.

The first half more than lived up to the billing, as the two teams exchanged haymakers for the opening 20 minutes of the game. While Iowa managed to race out to a 17-9 lead, LSU’s size eventually began to overwhelm them, particularly Angel Reese.

After the Hawkeyes found their footing a bit — and Reese went out due to what appeared to be an ankle injury — much of the first half occurred with both teams within four points of one another. With less than two seconds left in the frame, Flau’jae Johnson scored to send both teams into the locker room tied at 45.

Clark and Reese lived up to the star billing in the first half, with the Iowa sensation putting up 19 points and 5 assists, while LSU’s standout stuffed the stat sheet with eight rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks.

The Hawkeyes once again raced out of the gates in the third quarter, led unsurprisingly by Clark. She got absolutely nuclear hot to start the frame as the team opened things up with a 18-7 run.

Iowa built a 69-58 lead after three quarters, and, while LSU scored the first five points of the fourth quarter to cut the lead nearly in half, Clark wasn’t ready to cede control. By the five-minute mark of the fourth quarter, Clark had tied a career high (and tournament record) with nine triples, and Iowa’s lead was back to 11 points.

Nothing was assured at that juncture, but the run LSU needed never materialized. With 2:29 remaining, Clark set up Hannah Stuelke for a layup to give Iowa a 12-point lead, and it was all but academic from there.

The Hawkeyes will now head to Cleveland to face either USC or UConn the national semifinal on Friday. Iowa certainly won’t be satisfied with anything but a national title given the team’s No. 1 seed and the presence of Clark, but it was a monumental performance for both player and team.