Monday, April 3, 2023

How L.S.U. Beat Iowa to Win Its First most memorable N.C.A.A. Women’s Championship

 

How L.S.U. Beat Iowa to Win Its First most memorable N.C.A.A. Women’s Championship

Jasmine Carson scored 21 points off the bench for the Tigers in the first half, and Alexis Morris scored 19 in the second. Caitlin Clark led a comeback attempt that fizzled out as she played in foul trouble.

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  2. Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press
  3. Kevin Jairaj/USA Today
  4. Tom Pennington/Getty Images
  5. Darron Cummings/Associated Press
  6. Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press
  7. Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press
  8. Kevin Jairaj/USA Today
  9. Kevin Jairaj/USA Today
  10. Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press
  11. Darron Cummings/Associated Press
  12. Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press
  13. Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press
  14. Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press
  15. Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press
  16. Kirby Lee/USA Today

N.C.A.A. Women’s Basketball: Final Four

  • Final
    • 1
      South Carolina
      73
    • 2
      Iowa
      77
  • Final
    • 3
      Louisiana State
      79
    • 1
      Virginia Tech
      72
  • Final
    • 2
      Iowa
      85
    • 3
      Louisiana State
      102
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Pinned
Kris Rhim

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Louisiana State closes out a commanding win over Iowa for a national championship.

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Angel Reese going for a layup amid two Iowa defenders.
Angel Reese of Louisiana State was named the most outstanding player of the Final Four as the Tigers rolled to a 102-85 win.Credit...Darron Cummings/Associated Press
Angel Reese going for a layup amid two Iowa defenders.

Louisiana State Coach Kim Mulkey had been trying to temper expectations all season.

She had added nine new players. Who knew how they would jell? In her second year coaching at L.S.U., nobody should expect a national championship, she argued.

But there was Mulkey in Sunday’s national championship game, clad in a sequin pantsuit that looked like something between a disco ball and an exploded glitter bomb, leading the third-seeded Tigers to their first women’s basketball championship with a convincing victory, 102-85, over Iowa and its superstar sharpshooter, Caitlin Clark. The Tigers’ 102 points were the most in a Division I women’s title game. Iowa’s 85 was the most in a loss.

The Tigers, behind the towering, smack-talking forward Angel Reese and a surprise shooting spark from Jasmine Carson, brought Clark and college basketball’s most exciting show to a screeching stop, ending one of the most electrifying individual runs in recent tournament history.

Clark, the consensus national player of the year, had caught the attention of the country with her N.B.A.-range shooting, her crisp passing and her visible emoting in celebration, frustration and competitive passion.

The Tigers celebrated at midcourt while freshman guard Flau’jae Johnson, who also raps, had one of her songs playing throughout the arena in Dallas. Johnson held the trophy and rapped her lyrics while waving her arms.

“Year 2, and hoisting this trophy is crazy,” Mulkey told the crowd. The N.C.A.A. championship is Mulkey’s fourth as a head coach, moving her to third on the career list. Mulkey also won a title as a player with Louisiana Tech in 1982 and one as an assistant coach at the school. Mulkey said she “lost” it with about 90 seconds remaining Sunday, bursting into tears.

“That’s really not like me until that final buzzer goes off, but I knew we were going to hold on to win this game,” Mulkey said through tears.

Reese was named the most outstanding player for the Final Four, finishing with 15 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Carson scored a team-high 22 points, including 21 in the first half on 7-of-7 shooting.

“I had so many goals coming into L.S.U.,” said Reese, who transferred from Maryland ahead of this season. “But I didn’t think I was going to win a national championship in my first year at L.S.U.”

As the game wound down, Reese used one of Clark’s taunts of choice against her, waving a hand in front of her own face, the same move popularized by the professional wrestler John Cena. Reese also tapped her right ring finger while smiling at Clark, pointing out the spot for some fresh championship jewelry.

Reese, who has been criticized all season for her celebrations and taunting, said her showboating had added meaning.

“I don’t fit the narrative,” Reese said. “I don’t fit the box that you all want me to be in. I’m too hood. I’m too ghetto. You all told me that all year. But when other people do it, you all say nothing. So this is for the girls that look like me that’s going to speak up on what they believe in — that’s unapologetically you.”

Alexis Morris, the Tigers point guard, seemed to refer after the game to the massive attention Clark had been getting throughout the tournament.

“Caitlin, you had an amazing game, you a great player,” Morris said. “But, you got to put some respect on L.S.U.”

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Three L.S.U. players celebrating in the second half.
Alexis Morris, middle, scored 15 points in the fourth quarter, and Angel Reese, right, finished with a double-double.Credit...Kirby Lee/USA Today

In her national semifinal, Clark had led the upset of all upsets in this tournament, when she dropped 41 points against then undefeated South Carolina, ending what many thought would be a romp for the Gamecocks to a second straight championship.

One fan during that game prominently waved a sign that read, “In Clark we trust,” as Clark cemented her stardom in front of a record television audience, including the curiously casual and fans who have been following her rise all along.

As the teams shook hands after game, Mulkey told Clark that she was a “generational player.”

The game was tightly officiated. The referees called 37 fouls. Clark had to spend extra time on the bench as she accumulated four fouls, her last on a technical for throwing a ball in frustration after Monika Czinano, Iowa’s second-leading scorer, picked up her fourth foul.

After the game, the referee Lisa Jones said that Clark was charged the technical because she didn’t give the ball back to a referee immediately and Iowa had already received a delay-of-game warning in the third quarter.

Czinano and McKenna Warnock, another Iowa starter, both fouled out. Reese finished with four fouls.

“They wouldn’t even listen to me, there wasn’t even a conversation that could be had,” Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said of the officials. “When your two seniors have to sit on the bench, those two women didn’t deserve that. And Caitlin getting a T? It’s too bad.”

Before their matchup, Mulkey acknowledged that she had never seen a player like Clark. “She’s going to get her points,” Mulkey said ahead of the final.

And Clark did, scoring 30 points to go with 8 assists, but the Tigers had one of their most superb shooting games all season and their fourth-highest scoring output.

“The biggest thing is it’s really special, I don’t think it’s going to set in for me for quite some time,” Clark, a junior, said. “I want my legacy to be the impact 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.”

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Caitlin Clark of Iowa shoots a jump shot over L.S.U.’s Angel Reese.
Caitlin Clark finished with 30 points but spent part of the second quarter on the bench after committing her third foul.Credit...Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

It started early for L.S.U. when Johnson knocked down the first of the Tigers’ three baskets from 3-point range in the first quarter. That showed the Hawkeyes that they couldn’t approach this matchup in the same way they had toppled South Carolina, by letting them have outside shots.

“Caitlin’s going to have to play some defense,” Morris said.

Morris was proved right. The Tigers led a 3-point barrage, anchored by Carson, who made five in the first half to help build a 17-point halftime lead. The Tigers finished 11 for 17 on 3-pointers — more than keeping up with Iowa’s 14 for 30 — and Morris made all six of her shots in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 in the period as Iowa tried to stop the rout.

“I just was so determined to not let nobody down tonight,” Morris said.

In the final minute, Morris waved goodbye to the Iowa-favoring crowd.

The title followed a tumultuous several years for Mulkey. She came to L.S.U. two seasons ago after winning three championships over 21 seasons at Baylor, including in 2012 in large part because of the star center Brittney Griner.

But when Griner left Baylor, she told ESPN that she was never happy there because she couldn’t be “all the way out” as lesbian. “It feels so good saying it: I am a strong, Black lesbian woman. Every single time I say it, I feel so much better,” she said.

Then Griner was arrested in Russia one year ago, charged with carrying a vape cartridge with hashish oil, and the United States government ruled that she had been wrongfully detained. In September, as Griner was still imprisoned in a Russian penal colony, Mulkey stopped short a reporter who asked for a reaction to Griner’s detention. “You won’t” get one, Mulkey said.

In a news conference last week, a reporter prefaced a question about Griner to Mulkey by saying “she had to ask,” and Mulkey interrupted her and said, “No, you want to ask.”

When asked whether she had talked with Griner since her release through a prisoner swap in December, Mulkey said: “No. But I’m glad she’s back.” She added: “I’m glad she’s safe, she’s sound. I think everybody is. But no, I have not.”

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Kim Mulkey, coach of L.S.U., jumps into the arms of guard Flau’jae Johnson.
L.S.U. Coach Kim Mulkey celebrating during the final seconds of Sunday’s game with Flau’jae Johnson.Credit...Darron Cummings/Associated Press

The Tigers’ championship season was reflective of how much college basketball has changed. Mulkey had significant roster turnover, and four of her five starters were transfers. Some coaches, like Mississippi’s Yolett McPhee-McCuin, have described the N.C.A.A.’s transfer portal like going shopping for players.

Mulkey’s portal shopping was effective, as she secured Reese (Maryland), the top available transfer, and others who played key roles in the championship win, including Carson (West Virginia) and LaDazhia Williams (Missouri).

After Mulkey left Baylor, she said, she hadn’t realized how helpful the portal would be in accelerating her success.

“Obviously the transfer portal was good to us at L.S.U.,” Mulkey said. “But you know what, in another week, kids can depart, kids that you wouldn’t expect would depart.”

Coaches like Mulkey, with multiple championships and a proven record of sending players to the W.N.B.A., dominate in the portal; it was Mulkey’s name and track record that helped her land Reese and quickly catapult L.S.U. atop college basketball.

“She is the plan,” Morris said. “Coach Mulkey is the GOAT. All L.S.U. needed was Coach Mulkey.”

Morris, Williams and Carson will be gone next season, as they have exhausted their college eligibility. So Mulkey will likely be going shopping in the portal again this off-season.

But first she’ll party. Glitter and sequin fans beware.

Remy Tumin
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

As L.S.U. celebrated on the court, Clark and Czinano made their way to the press conference area with towels around their necks.

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Credit...Darron Cummings/Associated Press
Sara Ziegler
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

This was the highest-scoring N.C.A.A. women’s title game ever, with 187 total points. No team had cracked the 100-point mark before L.S.U. did it today.

Remy Tumin
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Under a shower of confetti, the L.S.U. Tigers receive their championship trophy with Garth Brooks’s “Callin' Baton Rouge” ringing through the arena.

Remy Tumin
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Including Coach Mulkey dancing on stage with her grandchildren.

Sara Ziegler
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Angel Reese is named the most outstanding player of the Final Four. She is joined on the all-tournament team by L.S.U. teammates Alexis Morris and Jasmine Carson, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and South Carolina’s Zia Cooke.

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Credit...Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press
Talya Minsberg
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

“This is what I came here for,” Kateri Poole said to Angel Reese as confetti rained down on the two. Poole transferred to L.S.U. from Ohio State; Reese transferred to L.S.U. from Maryland.

Sara Ziegler
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

A nice moment between Kim Mulkey and Caitlin Clark in the handshake line.

Remy Tumin
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Mulkey was embraced by her assistant coaches at the final buzzer. Lots of happy tears from the L.S.U. bench!

Remy Tumin
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

The Tigers have it: L.S.U. is the national champion, its first title in program history as it defeats the Iowa Hawkeyes, 102-85.

Sara Ziegler
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

A banked-in 3-pointer from Alexis Morris, and that will do it.

Sara Ziegler
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Caitlin Clark just took a very long 3-point shot that bounced off the rim. It’s 98-82, L.S.U.

Remy Tumin
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

With a 13-point lead and a title 90 seconds away, L.S.U. fans are on the feet.

Talya Minsberg
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

L.S.U. players are starting to point at their ring fingers.

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Credit...Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Talya Minsberg
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

For all the fouls in this game, it’s a bit surprising that L.S.U. coach Kim Mulkey hasn't gotten a technical. It seems like she's been close.

Talya Minsberg
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Monika Czinano is out of the game with her fifth personal foul.

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Credit...Kevin Jairaj/USA Today
Sara Ziegler
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

The foul was called on an offensive screen. Czinano leaves with 13 points in 22 minutes.

Remy Tumin
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Official attendance is in: 19,482, a sellout at American Airlines Center.

Kris Rhim
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

As she has all tournament, Alexis Morris is making all the right decisions to keep L.S.U. ahead.

Sara Ziegler
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

With her 10th rebound just now, Angel Reese has set a new Division I record for double-doubles in a season, with her 34th. Reese has scored 13 points.

Talya Minsberg
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Clark gets a technical for her fourth foul, making a comeback against L.S.U. much tougher.

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Iowa’s Caitlin Clark reacted during the second half after being called for a technical foul.
Credit...Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark reacted during the second half after being called for a technical foul.

Iowa seemed to double down on its main offensive strategy in the third quarter — go for 3-pointers early and often. The Hawkeyes were staring down a 17 point deficit at halftime, and were looking to close the gap as quickly as possible.

The mood on Iowa’s bench was looking grim, until suddenly, they made a string of stops and hit a string of shots.

Caitlin Clark hit a 3, then Monika Czinano hit a jumper and a free throw. After some turnovers and more baskets, Iowa had a 15-2 run and had shrunk the deficit to 7 points with less than three minutes remaining in the quarter.

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Iowa’s Molly Davis shooting a layup around the outstretched right arm of L.S.U.’s Angel Reese.
Iowa’s Molly Davis shot past L.S.U.’s Angel Reese.Credit...Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

But Louisiana State caught an enormous break — one that could be game-breaking. Czinano was called for her fourth foul, and in response, Clark received a technical foul, giving her a fourth, too.

That forced Coach Lisa Bluder to push them to the bench and they are now playing in the deepest stretch of this game in danger of being disqualified.

Talya Minsberg
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Clark has talked about strengthening her mental game when things don’t go her way. Things are … not going her way. This will be an interesting final quarter.

Remy Tumin
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Iowa is in major foul trouble: With a technical foul just assessed on Clark, both she and Czinano have four fouls, and the third quarter isn’t even over.

Kris Rhim
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Clark earned her fourth on a technical foul after a foul by Czinano. Both are on the bench, with Iowa down by 11. This is a nightmare scenario for the Hawkeyes.

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Credit...Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press
Remy Tumin
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

L.S.U. might have the lead, but Clark is still making history. She has broken the single-tournament record for most 3-pointers and the single-tournament record for most points scored, according to the N.C.A.A.

Remy Tumin
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Every game has a breakout star, and today it’s L.S.U.’s Jasmine Carson, who has five 3-pointers so far. The 5-foot-10 guard from Memphis is playing in her fifth and final year of eligibility with the Tigers after transferring to L.S.U. as a graduate student from West Virginia, and Georgia Tech before that. Her career scoring high came in February against Florida when she had 25 points. Halfway through the third quarter, Carson is leading the Tigers with 21 points.

Remy Tumin
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Iowa is starting to find its footing again and is on a 15-2 run. The Hawkeyes have closed the gap slightly in the third quarter; the Tigers lead, 65-57.

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Credit...Kirby Lee/USA Today
Sara Ziegler
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

The lead for L.S.U. had been up to 21. But four 3-pointers from Iowa in that run have the Hawkeyes right back in it.

Kris Rhim
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Monika Czinano now has her third foul. Clark also has three.

Kris Rhim
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

A glimmer of hope for Iowa fans: L.S.U. squandered a 17-point first-half lead in the Southeastern Conference semifinal against Tennessee.

Remy Tumin
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

On Jasmine Carson’s perfect shooting, L.S.U. takes a big lead.

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L.S.U. players hug and cheer for Jasmine Carson, at center, after she hit a buzzer-beater.
L.S.U. players celebrating a 3-pointer by Jasmine Carson to beat the halftime buzzer.Credit...Darron Cummings/Associated Press
L.S.U. players hug and cheer for Jasmine Carson, at center, after she hit a buzzer-beater.

If Louisiana State keeps shooting like this, the title might not be far behind.

The Tigers lead, 59-42, at halftime of this N.C.A.A. women’s championship game, sinking six 3-pointers in the second quarter alone — their highest total since the opening round of the tournament. Jasmine Carson electrified the arena with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer — making her a perfect 5 of 5 from beyond the arc in the first half.

The perimeter is supposed to be the Hawkeyes’ home, normally dominated by Caitlin Clark’s shot. But Clark ran into foul trouble toward the end of the second quarter, sending her to the bench and with her Iowa’s usual ease and confidence. The Tigers converted 11 points off turnovers in the second quarter.

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Caitlin Clark of Iowa, in a white No. 22 jersey, shoots a 3-pointer against the outstretched arm of L.S.U.’s Last-Tear Poa.
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark scored only 2 points in the second quarter.Credit...Kevin Jairaj/USA Today

The third quarter could prove to be make or break for the Hawkeyes: Angel Reese, who has two fouls, is fully rested after sitting out the entire second quarter.

Sara Ziegler
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Carson’s highest-scoring game this season was against Florida on Feb. 19, when she had 25 points. She has 21 so far today in just 12 minutes of action.

Kris Rhim
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Two games ago, L.S.U. had its worst shooting game of the season. The Tigers went 1 of 12 on 3-pointers in their round-of-8 matchup against Miami and scored just 54 points. It was a game Mulkey said she would have turned off if she were watching at home. Now, the Tigers can’t miss.

Kris Rhim
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

L.S.U. players celebrated that 3-pointer at halfcourt they won the title. With a 17-point lead, they are just 20 minutes away from doing that.

Sara Ziegler
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

And that’s ANOTHER 3 from Jasmine Carson to beat the first-half buzzer. L.S.U. is up, 59-42.

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Credit...Darron Cummings/Associated Press
Kris Rhim
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

To put into perspective just how unbelievably L.S.U. is shooting, the Tigers shot 7 for 38 from 3 in its previous three games. They have eight 3-pointers in the first half today.

Talya Minsberg
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

The Hawkeyes have long prided themselves on being able to play their own game, to keep calm in stressful moments. That’s being tested in this game as L.S.U has a 12-point lead.

Kris Rhim
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

The refs are blowing the whistle often today, with 19 fouls called so far. Reese hasn’t played this quarter as she sits with two, and Clark just went to the bench with her third.

Kris Rhim
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

L.S.U. has managed to stay afloat without Reese because of Carson. Let’s see if Iowa can do the same without Clark.

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Credit...Kevin Jairaj/USA Today
Kris Rhim
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Caitlin Clark now has three fouls.

Sara Ziegler
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Clark did not agree with that call. (And neither did the many Hawkeyes fans in this arena.)

Kris Rhim
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Jasmine Carson is playing out of her mind. She has four 3-pointers and is up to 16 points.

Kris Rhim
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

When Iowa players not named Caitlin Clark are shooting like this, they are nearly impossible to beat. But L.S.U. is still leading because the Tigers have already hit five 3-pointers, their most since the opening round of this tournament. Jasmine Carson has two of them.

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Credit...Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press
Sara Ziegler
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Jasmine Carson has 10 points so far, including 5 in this quarter. With Angel Reese on the bench, the Tigers have still managed to increase their lead.

Remy Tumin
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Iowa opened the first quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers, but not from Clark — that was the work of Gabbie Marshall and Kate Martin.

Kris Rhim
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

L.S.U. takes an early lead over Iowa, with both teams facing foul trouble.

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Ki Mulkey, coach of L.S.U., puts her hands to her head and yells at a referee. She is wearing a gold-and-pink, sparkly blazer.
L.S.U. Coach Kim Mulkey during the first quarter of the Tigers’ N.C.A.A. final Sunday against Iowa.Credit...Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press
Ki Mulkey, coach of L.S.U., puts her hands to her head and yells at a referee. She is wearing a gold-and-pink, sparkly blazer.

As Louisiana State guard Flau’jae Johnson knocked down the first 3-pointer of the game, it was clear that Iowa couldn’t approach this matchup in the same way it had during its upset win over South Carolina in the semifinal.

In that game, Iowa guard Caitlin Clark roamed the paint and left several Gamecocks guards open, who could not capitalize on the open opportunities.

But L.S.U. hit three 3-pointers in game’s opening quarter. On one play, L.S.U. guard Kateri Poole was left wide open in the corner, a shot that Iowa would have welcomed just a game ago. But as Poole knocked it down, Iowa players argued about what happened. Tigers fans cheered, and Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder called a timeout.

Yet as every team has learned this tournament, the Hawkeyes can score in bunches. Clark kept Iowa in the game with four 3-pointers and 14 points. Still Angel Reese was dominant in the first period, filling the stat sheet with 7 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists, and a steal to give the Tigers a 27-22 lead.

Reese also got Iowa’s star center, Monika Czinano, in early foul trouble, and she let the crowd know that Czinano had two fouls as she was subbed out.

But Reese eventually picked up a second foul of her own late in the first, and the Iowa-leaning crowd roared.

Remy Tumin
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Both L.S.U. and Iowa are running on gas. But the Tigers have a slight edge against the Hawkeyes, leading, 27-22, at the end of the first quarter.

Remy Tumin
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Neither team is happy with the early foul situation: Iowa has seven team fouls, and L.S.U. has five as the first quarter wraps up.

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Credit...Kevin Jairaj/USA Today
Sara Ziegler
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Angel Reese just got her second foul, and Kim Mulkey was displeased. Hawkeyes fans have been screaming for a technical on Mulkey.

Kris Rhim
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Angel Reese made sure to let the Iowa crowd know that Monika Czinano had two fouls. She raised her two fingers and yelled “that’s two” as Czinano exited the game.

Kris Rhim
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Iowa fans were yelling things at the referees that cannot be published by The New York Times.

Talya Minsberg
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Ahead of today’s championship game, the Tigers said they knew they would need to slow Caitlin Clark in order to win. So far, that’s been a struggle. She already has 12 points, and we’re not even at the end of the first quarter.

Remy Tumin
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

To Talya’s point, the partnership between Clark and Monika Czinano is really something. They know exactly how to set each other up for success.

Remy Tumin
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

So far, L.S.U. has been able to keep pace with Iowa’s 3-point machine. Both teams are 2 of 3 from beyond the arc.

Image
Credit...Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press
Remy Tumin
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Caitlin Clark just scored the first of what is expected to be many 3-pointers from her, and L.S.U. called a quick timeout. Iowa is up, 7-3.

Remy Tumin
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

There are a few celebrities in the arena this afternoon, including Emmitt Smith, Billie Jean King and a special visitor from Washington: the first lady, Jill Biden.

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Credit...Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press
Kris Rhim
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Iowa fans have taken over the arena. There are yellow-and-black Hawkeyes T-shirts throughout, and fans are roaring like it's a home game as Iowa’s starters are announced.

Talya Minsberg
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Iowa’s home stadium is the Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. When the team travels, the fans come with them in force. It's no surprise to hear Hawkeye fans call American Airlines Center “Carver South.”

Talya Minsberg
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

The L.S.U. starters are being announced, and you know what that means. Angel Reese now has her crown.

Remy Tumin
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

We don’t have official numbers in yet, but from where I’m sitting courtside, I only see a handful of empty seats in this 20,000-seat arena.

Remy Tumin
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Alexis Morris wants to “complete the comeback.”

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Louisiana State guard Alexis Morris high-fiving fans as she walks into the arena.
Louisiana State guard Alexis Morris before the championship game against Iowa.Credit...Kirby Lee/Usa Today Sports Via Reuters
Louisiana State guard Alexis Morris high-fiving fans as she walks into the arena.

Alexis Morris began her college career as a player under Coach Kim Mulkey and will end her college career under Mulkey. But her road to the championship game has been anything but linear.

Morris, a fifth-year senior who led the Tigers with 27 points in their win over Virginia Tech on Friday, started playing under Mulkey at Baylor in 2017. But she was dismissed from the team for violating team rules before the start of the 2018 season, and ended up at Rutgers, where she medically withdrew after the 2020 season. In 2020-21, she played for Texas A&M before asking Mulkey for another shot, this time at Louisiana State.

Morris, who grew up in nearby Beaumont, Texas, is looking to come full circle in Dallas on Sunday.

“It’s bittersweet that I have to leave, but I’d rather leave on top than anything,” she said. “I’m hungry, I’m greedy. I want to win it all so I can complete the story and complete the comeback. ”

Mulkey said her decision to dismiss Morris from the team was a “tough” one at the time but the right call for both Baylor and for Morris. When Morris asked to play for her again, Mulkey recognized that Morris had “just kept clawing to get out of it.”

“She has owned her mistakes and is a better person because of it,” Mulkey said. “And now she’s being rewarded.”

Kris Rhim
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

‘Caitlin’s going to have to play some defense.’

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Haley Van Lith of Louisville dribbling against Caitlin Clark of Iowa.
Caitlin Clark defending against Hailey Van Lith of Louisville during the round of 8 last week.Credit...Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Haley Van Lith of Louisville dribbling against Caitlin Clark of Iowa.

Defenses had employed the strategy against South Carolina all season. They would sit in zone defenses, and sag off all of the team’s guards not named Zia Cooke, helping with the Gamecocks’ towering centers in the paint.

Iowa used that strategy in its upset win over South Carolina, but Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark took the approach to a new level. Clark often turned her back to South Carolina guard Raven Johnson, and in one instance, turned her back from down low and waved off Johnson standing wide open at the 3-point line with the ball.

Alexis Morris, Louisiana State’s point guard, promised that would not work in Sunday’s national championship.

“Caitlin’s going to have to play some defense,” Morris said, adding: “They just sat in the paint. We’re going to have to make them guard in order for us to be able to be in that game and compete in that game.”

Louisiana State Coach Kim Mulkey was shocked by how effective Clark’s defensive strategy was, too.

“They allowed Caitlin to roam,” Mulkey said. “She never really guarded anybody.”

Lisa Bluder, Iowa’s coach, said playing L.S.U. is much like playing South Carolina. Similar to South Carolina, the Tigers’ offense revolves around its post players. The ball often goes to forwards Angel Reese or LaDazhia Williams who look to score before dishing out to guards.

The Tigers, also like South Carolina, struggle to make 3-pointers. L.S.U. has gone 7 for 38 in its last three games. Still, Clark said Iowa’s defensive strategy would be different.

“I think L.S.U. can shoot the ball a lot better,” Clark said. “We’re not going to guard L.S.U. the same way we guarded South Carolina.”

Sara Ziegler
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Angel Reese could make double-double history.

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An overhead shot of Angel Reese of L.S.U. competing for a rebound.
Angel Reese of L.S.U., at center, fighting for a rebound during the round of 16.Credit...Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
An overhead shot of Angel Reese of L.S.U. competing for a rebound.

L.S.U.’s Angel Reese has been big on the boards all year. On Sunday, she has a chance to set a record.

Reese has recorded 33 double-doubles this season, averaging 23.3 points and 15.6 rebounds. She currently sits tied atop women’s Division I for double-doubles in a season, with Courtney Paris of Oklahoma, who accomplished the feat in the seasons ending in 2006 and 2007; Natalie Butler of George Mason in 2018; and Megan Gustafson of Iowa in 2019.

If Reese manages a double-double in Sunday’s N.C.A.A. women’s basketball final against Iowa, it will be her 34th, setting her alone at the top of the list.

Reese has been especially valuable on the offensive boards. Her offensive rebounding rate, or the share of rebounding opportunities in which a rebound was recorded, is 20.3 percent — a best among Division I players with at least 25 minutes played, according to Her Hoop Stats.

She grabbed six offensive rebounds in Friday’s national semifinal against Virginia Tech and finish the night with 12 total rebounds, to go along with 24 points.

Remy Tumin
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Hello, from American Airlines Center in Dallas! We have Louisiana sparkles. We have Iowa yellow. We have very, very good basketball ahead of us. Fans are starting to fill the arena now as Louisiana State and Iowa finish up their warmups.

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Credit...Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Kris Rhim
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Endorsement deals made a difference in this N.C.A.A. tournament.

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Miami Coach Katie Meier, left, with Haley Cavinder.
Miami Coach Katie Meier, left, served a three-game suspension after the N.C.A.A. said she helped connect Haley Cavinder, right, and Cavinder’s twin sister, Hanna, with a booster before they transferred to Miami.Credit...Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Miami Coach Katie Meier, left, with Haley Cavinder.

A new era in college sports began in the summer of 2021, after a series of state laws went into effect that made it illegal for the N.C.A.A. to prohibit athletes from earning money from the use of their name, image and likeness, a category now known as N.I.L. Overnight, the experience of college athletes was transformed.

Water polo players could advertise for summer swim lessons, and stars like the Connecticut guard Paige Bueckers or the Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams could garner millions in endorsements.

Ground zero for the endorsement revolution is Miami, where the men and women’s basketball teams made their deepest N.C.A.A. tournament runs in program history, and where every scholarship member of the football team was offered a deal.

The man making it all go is John Ruiz, a Miami alumnus and the chief executive of LifeWallet. Ruiz, 56, a brash entrepreneur and a rabid Miami Hurricanes fan, says he has invested more than $10 million in Miami athletes. He has straddled the line of pay for play that in one episode prompted an N.C.A.A. inquiry and resulted in a short suspension for the Miami women’s basketball coach.

Some people in college sports, like the recently retired Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim, have suggested that Miami has simply “bought” players.

“We’ve been trendsetters,” Ruiz said in a recent interview, adding: “Nobody does it like we do.”

Remy TuminKris Rhim
April 2, 2023

Remy Tumin and 

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

The talent in women’s college basketball has never been deeper. That’s a problem for the pros.

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Iowa’s Caitlin Clark driving against Aliyah Boston of South Carolina.
Caitlin Clark, left, and Aliyah Boston are two of the top W.N.B.A. prospects. Boston is expected to be the top pick in the draft this month; Clark is too young to be eligible.Credit...Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark driving against Aliyah Boston of South Carolina.

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will likely be playing against each other for a very long time.

The breakout stars leading Iowa and Louisiana State to the N.C.A.A. women’s basketball championship game on Sunday — a first for both teams — are two of the best players in the country, with some of the most lucrative marketing deals among college athletes.

They were the headliners of a remarkable 2020 recruiting class that has achieved atmospheric heights in women’s college basketball. Reese was ranked No. 2 in the group coming out of high school, just behind Connecticut’s Paige Bueckers. Clark was ranked No. 4, with Stanford’s Cameron Brink at No. 3.

All four of those players are likely to be household names well beyond college. They’ve already achieved a significant level of individual fame, and, once they reach the W.N.B.A., they are primed for long professional careers.

They are among the lucky few.

The opportunities in basketball for many female athletes peak at the Final Four. The spotlight is rarely brighter, and beyond the trophy awaiting Sunday’s winner is the earning potential newly available to the women who stand out. Players across the country who lack the star power of Reese or Clark are still able to make money within their fan bases.

But after Sunday, when many of the college athletes will look to further their careers in the professional ranks, they will face a ruthlessly crowded job market.

The W.N.B.A. faces a problem each spring, when hundreds of women vie for 144 spots in the world’s most prestigious professional women’s basketball league. Only 36 players are drafted, and of those perhaps half might make W.N.B.A. rosters by the time the season begins.

Now, the issue is heightening as the talent pool deepens in women’s college basketball.

Talya Minsberg
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Pep bands are powering their teams.

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The brass section of Iowa’s pep band playing in front of diners at a restaurant.
Iowa’s pep band played at a beer hall before the team’s round of 8 matchup against Louisville.Credit...Bedel Saget/The New York Times
The brass section of Iowa’s pep band playing in front of diners at a restaurant.

Across the country, dozens of collegiate pep bands have followed their classmates as they have competed in the men’s and women’s N.C.A.A. basketball tournaments. While the teams have faced the pressure to survive and advance to the next round, groups of about 30 band members have provided the soundtrack to the games from the stands, just past the sidelines.

With courtside seats and formal absence excuse letters for their professors, the band members may just have the best jobs in the tournament.

“Everyone is dialed into the reason we are here, which is the incredible women’s basketball team,” said Drew Bonner, a graduate teaching assistant for the Iowa band. His players know how to lift the players on the court, he said, and the players, coaches and fans are generous in showing their support for the band.

When Iowa is on the road away from its home court, Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the band brings the home-court advantage with it. Band members dubbed Minneapolis’s Target Center, home of this year’s Big Ten tournament, Carver North. Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, home of the round of 16 and the round of 8, was called Carver West by band members and Iowa forward McKenna Warnock. American Airlines Center in Dallas, home of the Final Four, is, of course, Carver South, the band members said.

Talya Minsberg
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese say they’re not cocky. But they are very confident.

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Caitlin Clark gesturing with three fingers on her right hand after making a 3-pointer against South Carolina.
Caitlin Clark of Iowa often celebrates her 3-pointers.Credit...Darron Cummings/Associated Press
Caitlin Clark gesturing with three fingers on her right hand after making a 3-pointer against South Carolina.

Angel Reese of Louisiana State and Caitlin Clark of Iowa revel in their own talent. The biggest stars left in collegiate basketball know exactly how good they are and they are not afraid to flaunt it.

Reese’s pregame handshake includes a gesture of a crown. When Clark hits a 3-pointer from the logo, she has mimicked the iconic Michael Jordan shrug. After especially ludicrous plays, Reese licks her fingers. When defenders fail to keep Clark in check, she has waved her hand in her face as if to say “you can’t see me.”

But that confidence has not come without criticism, and some women believe they are judged more harshly than men for the same displays.

“Let’s normalize women showing passion for the game instead of it being ‘embarrassing,’” Reese tweeted after a particularly bonkers play — and her swagger — went viral.

Clark has echoed the sentiment. “I’m somebody that’s full of fire and passion and that’s who I am, that’s always who I’m going to be, and I’m never going to lose that,” she said.

Ahead of Sunday’s championship game, both Reese and Clark have been asked about that confidence, at times almost asked to defend it. And both of their coaches — Kim Mulkey of Louisiana State and Lisa Bluder of Iowa — have made it clear that they are not going to temper their players.

“I never want to take that away from her because that is what makes her so competitive, that’s what makes her so fun to watch,” Bluder said of Clark. “I don’t want people to mistake, you know, passion, for being cocky or being mad at herself or her teammates, because she is a very passionate player.”

For all the swagger that may be displayed on the court, there’s a mutual respect between the athletes.

“We’re both great players. I think we bring a lot to the game,” Reese said. “A lot of people respect us — N.B.A. players, rappers, everybody respects us. And I think that just helps grow our game.”

Reese knows a big part of winning a national championship will be containing Clark. And Clark knows a big part of her team’s strategy is contending with Reese, and figuring out everyone else, too.

“It’s not going to be Caitlin versus Angel. That’s not going to win a national championship, but that’s what gets them excited about watching the game,” Clark said. “I think more than anything people are starting to understand women can play with excitement and a passion and a fire about themselves. That’s what’s fun. That’s what people want to see.”

Sara Ziegler
April 2, 2023

Reporting from the Final Four in Dallas

Who’s predicted to win between L.S.U. and Iowa?

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The women’s Final Four logo at the center of the court.
Credit...Ron Jenkins/Getty Images
The women’s Final Four logo at the center of the court.

The stage is set, the fans are loud, and all that’s left to do is play the game. So … who’s going to win?

The betting line opened at Iowa over L.S.U. by 1.5 points on Friday night, but that grew to 3.5 points by Sunday.

And what do the forecasters say? The FiveThirtyEight women’s basketball predictions give Iowa a 55 percent chance to cut down the nets.

As for fans, 6.4 percent of public brackets at ESPN selected Iowa as the champion, while 2.9 percent chose L.S.U. (The biggest share of public brackets had South Carolina as the winner, at 42.8 percent.)

In a matter of hours, we will know who was right.

Kevin Draper
April 1, 2023, 9:14 p.m. ET

Iowa’s win over South Carolina in the women’s tournament was a hit for ESPN, with 5.5 million viewers.

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Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, as seen from behind, celebrating with fans in the stands after her team’s Final Four win over South Carolina.
Caitlin Clark was the star of Iowa’s win over South Carolina in the Final Four.Credit...Kevin Jairaj/Usa Today Sports Via Reuters Con
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, as seen from behind, celebrating with fans in the stands after her team’s Final Four win over South Carolina.

The nail-biting victory for Caitlin Clark and Iowa over South Carolina on Friday night in the N.C.A.A. women’s basketball tournament semifinal was watched by an average of 5.5 million viewers, ESPN said on Saturday, citing early data from Nielsen. That is the third-largest audience ever on ESPN for a women’s college basketball game, and the largest audience ever for a semifinal.

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