Hawkeyes fall short in the national title game against LSU
It felt like the Hawkeyes were supposed to win this game. Caitlin Clark leading Iowa to a national title, while Monika Czinano and McKenna Warnock go out as champions? Going from a painful defeat on their home floor against Creighton last year, to confetti raining down as they celebrate a championship?
It felt like this team was destined to win the national title and even after falling behind by 21 points early in the second half, the belief continued as the Hawkeyes clawed back to within 69-62.
“Felt really good when we got it to seven. I thought we were going to do it. I really did. My team thought they were going to do it,” said head coach Lisa Bluder.
However, it just wasn’t in the cards. LSU hit shots when they needed it and thwarted Iowa’s chances of making a serious run at closing the gap. The Tigers took down the Hawkeyes 102-85 to clinch their first national title in program history.
“I just want to congratulate LSU. I thought they played a phenomenal game. They shot the ball really, really well today,” said Bluder. “They just were ready to go and they did a great job.”
The festivities started a couple hours before the game, as hundreds of Iowa fans gathered in Victory Plaza to welcome the team as they arrived to the arena from the hotel. Those same fans were roaring in the early going, as Caitlin Clark pulled up from Ft Worth for a transition three-pointer to make it 7-3 Hawkeyes. LSU head coach Kim Mulkey took an early timeout just 1:33 into the game.
Clark led the Hawkeyes in scoring with 14 points, including four three-pointers, but they found themselves trailing 27-22 after the opening ten minutes. A three-point make from Jasmine Carson capped a 7-2 LSU run to end the quarter. In the second quarter, it was more from Carson and more from long distance.
The Memphis, TN native and grad transfer from West Virginia could not miss. She came into the game having made just three of her last 26 three-point attempts over the last eight games. In the second quarter, she knocked down all six shots she attempted, including four three-pointers en route to 16 points. The Tigers finished the half on a 20-8 run, which was capped by a Jasmine Carson off balance, banked in three-pointer to give LSU a 59-42 advantage heading into the locker room.
“When I woke up, I just wanted to win. I wanted to do anything that my team needed in this game, whether it was defense, rebounding, just anything, supporting them,” said Carson. “I scored tonight, and that’s what pushed us and got us momentum.”
The Hawkeyes shot 13/26 (50.0%) from the field in the first half, but LSU bested them shooting 21/36 (58.3%), including 9/12 (75.0%) from behind the arc.
The Tigers came out of the locker room and scored the first four points of the second half to extend to its largest at 63-42. However, Iowa didn’t back down. The Hawkeyes got hot from behind the arc and got three-point makes from Caitlin Clark, McKenna Warnock and Gabbie Marshall. Monika Czinano sprinkled in a couple of baskets and all the sudden Iowa was right back in the game.
“We could have gone into halftime and been like what did we do? But our halftime locker room was like we’re fine. We got this. We believe in one another and we have the offensive fire power to come out here and cause some damage,” said Caitlin Clark. “I thought it showed our fight. It showed our fight, this team, and that’s what the story has been all year long, just a bunch of fight and mental toughness.”
The Hawkeyes went on a 20-6 run to close the gap to 69-62, but the momentum was cut short, as the referees went to the monitor for a review. Soon after that, Monika Czinano picked up her fourth foul and Caitlin Clark was slapped with her fourth foul, a technical, for not tossing the ball directly to the official after the foul call.
“We were playing handcuffed,” said Coach Bluder. “I can’t comment on the officials. It’s very frustrating because I feel like I can’t talk to them. They won’t even listen. That’s what’s frustrating is there wasn’t even a conversation that could be had.”
Angel Reese missed both technical free throws and the Tigers failed to convert on their extra possession they gained, but it disrupted the Hawkeyes momentum. They also had to deal with four fouls on Czinano, Warnock and Clark. Iowa headed to the fourth quarter trailing 75-64.
In the fourth quarter, the Hawkeyes never got closer than eight points. Kate Martin buried a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 77-69. LSU had an answer. Alexis Morris answered with a pair of baskets, while a transition layup by LaDazhia Williams capped a 6-0 Tigers run to make it 83-69.
Lisa Bluder took a timeout, but the damage was done. Overcoming a 14-point deficit in 7:18 was asking a lot, especially since Czinano fouled out of the game with 6:25 to play. McKenna Warnock followed her to the bench with her fifth foul with 1:33 to play.
Kateri Poole hit a three-pointer late in the shot clock and Alexis Morris added the exclamation point, a banked in three-pointer with 24 seconds remaining to get the game to its final score. 102-85 LSU.
“I’m so proud of my team. I’m proud of the women they are and I’m proud of what they stand for. The Iowa fans that came here in droves, I’m so thankful for them. I’m thankful that I get to coach at a university like the University of Iowa,” said Lisa Bluder during an emotional press conference. “I’m telling you, this is brutal. It’s really tough to walk out of that locker room today and to not be able to coach Monika and the McKenna ever again, that’s tough. I’m very grateful for the season we had, and I don’t want anything to take away from that. We played the National Championship Game.”
Caitlin Clark reflected on what their team has been able to do for women’s basketball, as they were apart of an NCAA Tournament that set a record for overall attendance, while seeing viewership skyrocket.
“I want my legacy to be the impact that I can have on young kids and the people in the state of Iowa, and I hope I brought them a lot of joy this season. I hope this team brought them a lot of joy and I understand we came up one win short, but I think we have a lot to be proud of and a lot to celebrate.”
Clark finished the game with 30 points on 9/22 shooting, including eight three-pointers. Kate Martin added 13 points and six assists, while Gabbie Marshall finished with 12 points. Meanwhile, in their final game of their Iowa careers, Monika Czinano finished with 13 points, while McKenna Warnock had nine points.
“I’m just extremely grateful for the opportunity to come here,” said Czinano, as she briefly reflected on her career at Iowa. “This was one of my only Division 1 offers. They really took a chance on me and I’m just so proud of everybody…It’s just been such a surreal experience. I’m honestly going to need even more time to reflect on it. I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else.”
The goal was to come to Dallas and win two games and hoist the national championship trophy today. Unfortunately, that did not come to fruition. It is painful for the players, coaches and fans, but Lisa Bluder tried to put it into words.
“We made it to the Final Four, we made the national title game, we beat South Carolina. Something no one else could do…we are going to sleep well knowing those things.”
