Caitlin Clark pours in 41 points as Iowa beats LSU in title game rematch to reach Final Four

Records weren’t the only thing that fell at the hands of Caitlin Clark on Monday evening. The Iowa star put on another classic to take down defending national champion LSU, the very team she lost to in the title game last season, 94-87.

Clark led the Hawkeyes with 41 points (13-of-29 FG) and 12 assists, becoming the NCAA Tournament’s all-time leader both 3-pointers and assists. More importantly, she punched the program’s second straight Final Four appearance and is now only two wins away from its first national title.

As has become customary for her, Clark came up clutch on several occasions Monday. Each time LSU seemed to come within striking distance, she had an answer. With the game tied coming out of halftime, Clark hit three 3-pointers within the first two-and-a-half minutes to allow the Hawkeyes to take the lead.

They never trailed again after that, though LSU would come as close as within seven points in the third quarter. However, Clark immediately stepped up to hit another 3-pointer to make it a double digit game again. She finished the game with nine total, six of which came in the second half.

Tigers star Angel Reese fouled out with 1:45 remaining and finished a double-double of 17 points and 20 rebounds.

Iowa got off to a hot start to the game, jumping out to a 15-6 advantage as Clark scored or assisted on 13 of those 15 points. However, LSU would come roaring back and eventually take its first lead with a layup from Reese at the 1:23 mark that made it a 27-26 game. It came in the midst of what was ultimately a 12-2 run for the Tigers to end the quarter.

The Hawkeyes wouldn’t fall behind for long, however, as Clark kept them in the game with 19 points in the first half. That led to things being tied up at 45 by halftime.

The moment Iowa lost last season, the goal for Clark was to get back to the Final Four and attempt to cut down the nets herself. Mission accomplished and Clark did so with a 40-point performance.

She described the feeling of a second consecutive run to the Final Four, admitting this year’s win felt better than it did in 2023.

“This one probably feels a little better,” Clark said in a postgame interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe. “It’s my senior year with this group. A lot of people counted us out at the beginning of the year with the people we lost. All we did was work really hard. To get back here, it was really hard. This region was loaded with so much talent. Job’s not finished.”

With the win, Iowa advances to face the winner between UConn and USC, who are set to tip off Monday evening.