LSU denies Iowa in the NCAA women’s basketball final, 102-85

DALLAS — As Angel Reese was all too willing to display, LSU wears the ring.

Jasmine Carson came off the bench to score a team-high 22 points (16 in a second-quarter rush), and the ninth-ranked Tigers denied No. 3 Iowa, 102-85, in the NCAA women’s basketball championship game Sunday afternoon at American Airlines Court.

“I’m been working hard my whole life for this,” said Carson, in her fifth year and at her third school. “I came to LSU to contribute.”

Carson came into the game averaging 8.6 points this season (and 0.0 through the past three games). She would have been low on anybody’s Pick To Click roster, but she rose to the top Sunday.

The title was the first for LSU (34-2), the fourth as a head coach for Kim Mulkey, who won three at Baylor before turning around the Tigers’ program at warp speed.

As it ended, Reese (the Final Four Most Outstanding Player) was in the face of Iowa’s Caitlin Clark (the 2023 national player of the year), placing an imaginary championship ring on her finger.

Clark tried to walk away, but Reese stayed after her.

“Twitter’s going to be in a rage, but I’m happy,” Reese said. “Super happy and excited.”

Clark’s response: “I was just trying to get to the handshake line and shake hands and be grateful that my team was in that position. That's all you can do is hold your head high, be proud of what you did.”

Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said, “We're all different people, and we all have different ways to show our emotions. Again, I've got to focus on what I can control.”

The Hawkeyes (31-7) couldn’t control LSU’s outside game. The Tigers entered the game hitting 5.1 3-pointers per game and shooting 34 percent from deep. Sunday, they were 11 for 17.

“That’s how it goes,” Iowa’s Kate Martin said. “Kudos to them.”

LSU was 14 of 71 from 3-point range in the first five games of the tournament.

“They played a phenomenal game,” Bluder said. “They shot the ball really, really well today. Jasmine Carson came off the bench and played extremely well.”

Despite incessant foul trouble — Monika Czinano and McKenna Warnock both had two fouls in the first quarter — the Hawkeyes led 32-31 in the second period.

But Carson went on her shooting rampage to push LSU to a 28-10 blitz in the last 7 minutes of the half. The Tigers led, 59-42, at intermission when Carson banked in a 3-pointer at the horn.

“Some stuff just didn’t fall our way,” Warnock said. “They knocked down some tough shots. Props to (Carson). She showed no fear. You’ve got to give her credit. She hit some tough shots.”

LSU scored the first two baskets of the second half to extend the margin to 63-42 before the Hawkeyes played their best ball of the day.

A 15-2 run in less than 3 minutes got Iowa back within stiffing range at 65-57. Czinano scored inside shortly thereafter to make it 69-62.

Then, at the 1:03 mark of the third quarter and the Hawkeyes down 73-64, came a catastrophic sequence.

Czinano was whistled for her fourth foul, then Clark picked up a technical for her fourth.

According to a postgame statement from the officiating crew:

“Iowa received a delay-of-game warning in the third period at the 7:28 mark for batting the ball away after a made basket, causing a delay. The second offense was when (Clark) picked up the ball and failed to immediately pass the ball to the nearest official after the whistle was blown.”

Watch on YouTube

LSU took a 75-64 advantage into the fourth quarter. Martin’s 3-pointer got the Hawkeyes within 77-69, but that was the last stand. The Tigers scored the next six points.

Czinano fouled out with 6:25 left, Warnock at the 1:33 mark. Those two played their final game Sunday.

“I was really bummed that somebody who has given so much to our program had to spend the last 6 minutes on the bench,” Clark said. “She deserved a little better than that.”

Carson was one of five Tigers in double figures. Alexis Morris added 21 points, LaDazhia Williams 20.

Reese, who posted 15 points and 10 rebounds, and was named — ahead of Clark — as the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player.

Morris and Reese joined her on the all-tournament team, along with Clark and South Carolina’s Zia Cooke.

Clark scored 30 points and became the all-time leading scorer in an NCAA tournament, with 191 points (and 60 assists).

Playing in the 100th game of her career, Clark upped her total to 2,717 (1,055 this season). That’s the most by an NCAA Division-I player — women’s or men’s — through 100 games.

Czinano and Martin tallied 13 apiece, Gabbie Marshall 12.

“I don't think this is going to set in for me for quite some time,” Clark said, fighting back tears. “The 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. I understand we came up one win short, but I think we have a lot to be proud of and a lot to celebrate.”

No doubt about that.

But as Reese pointed out, truthfully if not tactfully, LSU wears the ring.

Watch on YouTube

LSU 102, Iowa 85

NCAA Tournament National Final, at Dallas

LSU (102): LaDazhia Williams 9-16 2-2 20, Angel Reese 5-12 5-8 15, Flau’jaw Johnson 4-11 1-1 10, Alexis Morris 8-14 4-4 21, Kateri Poole 2-3 0-1 6, Jasmine Carson 7-8 3-4 22, Sa’Myah Smith 1-3 0-0 2, Last-Tear Poa 2-3 0-0 6. Totals 38-70 15-21 102.

IOWA (85): McKenna Warnock 3-7 2-4 9, Monika Czinano 5-11 3-3 13, Kate Martin 5-7 0-0 13, Caitlin Clark 9-22 4-5 30, Gabbie Marshall 3-5 4-4 12, Hannah Stuelke 1-2 0-0 2, Addison O’Grady 1-1 2-4 4, Molly Davis 1-1 0-0 2, Sydney Affolter 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-56 15-20 85.

LSU 27 32 16 27 -- 102

Iowa 22 20 22 21 -- 85

3-point goals: LSU 11-17 (Johnson 1-4, Martin 3-4, Clark 8-19, Marshall 2-3). Team fouls: LSU 18, Iowa 18. Fouled out: Warnock, Czinano. Rebounds: LSU 37 (Reese 10), Iowa 26 (Warnock, Czinano 6). Assists: LSU 22 (Morris 9), Iowa 20 (Clark 8). Steals: LSU 8 (Williams, Reese 3), Iowa 7 (Czinano 3). Turnovers: LSU 12, Iowa 16.

Attendance: 19,482.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com