The Hawkeye star is on a mission.
ESPN showed a clip of Caitlin Clark shooting in warmups before LSU played Iowa on Monday night in Albany. The clip did not portray the Iowa star as just a happy-go-lucky lady about to play in the Elite Eight. She meant business that night and knew what was at stake—avenging last year’s national title game loss to LSU and advancing to the Final Four.
Last year’s reaction (photo courtesy Sports Illustrated)
You bet Clark remembered that all last summer and fall. The image of Angel Reese rubbing it in was a lasting memory for her as she and LSU celebrated a championship at Iowa’s expense. It certainly served to fuel her motivation.
She knew none of her accomplishments would matter if she didn’t win the national championship. She was ready to trade all that to win the grand prize. She knew she had to succeed in this game against LSU for her resume’s sake. She needed to get through LSU, which was a big step toward her goal.
Clark was out to get what she wanted, and she did. She finished the game with 41 points, 12 assists, and seven rebounds, leading Iowa to the Final Four in its 94-87 victory over LSU. She was just three rebounds short of a triple-double and settled for a double-double. Her nine 3-pointers tied a record for an NCAA Tournament game, and she passed Diana Taurasi for the most 3s ever in the NCAA Tournament.
No one should be surprised she was up for this moment. It was meant for her to do well in this game. She always rises to the occasion in big moments. Monday night was as good as it gets with the stakes for this game, another great chapter in her basketball life.
When she shot the first 3 of the game to give Iowa a 3-0 lead, it was a statement that she wasn’t playing around. It set the tone for what was to be a great night for her and Iowa. After LSU’s Hailey Van Lith hit a jump shot to make it a 3-2 game, Clark responded with a layup of her own. Clark then set up a pick for Kate Martin to make a layup on her own to give Iowa a 9-4 lead. Clark shot another 3 to give Iowa a 12-4 lead.
You got the feeling Iowa wasn’t going to be denied. Then, LSU got it going. To expect this game to go Iowa’s way all night would have been unrealistic.
LSU finished the first quarter with a 31-26 lead, as it was shooting well by going 7-of-9 after a 2-for-7 shot, and Iowa was struggling.
The game could have gotten away, but Clark kept this team afloat by playing defense and setting up Kate Martin, Sydney Affolter, Addison O’Grady, and Hannah Stuelke. Eventually, Iowa hung around and got it going again. Then, Clark hit a 3-pointer to cut Iowa’s deficit to 38-37. She followed it up with a beeline to the rim and made a layup to tie the game at 41 rather than overdoing it by shooting a jumper. She took advantage of an open space to score, which the defense gave her. It was only fitting that she made the layup to have Iowa regain the lead at 43-41.
If you thought Clark’s first half was great, the second half was even better. Clark started the second-half festivities with a 3 to start the third quarter. Of course, she did. This is what she does. This is what the great ones do in these games, where the situation calls on them to perform with just 20 minutes left in the game. She made six of her nine 3-pointers in the second half to ensure she and Iowa weren’t denied on this night. Her four 3-pointers helped Iowa outscore LSU 24-13 in the third quarter.
Iowa would be fine as long as she was hitting those 3s. You never got the impression LSU had an answer to what Clark was doing in that second half. She scored 22 of her 41 points in that half, 18 of which came from the 3-point line, and the rest of her four points came from four free throws.
It should be noted that Clark’s supporting cast was terrific. If they didn’t perform, there’s a good chance Iowa won’t beat LSU. Martin scored 21 points, Affolter finished with 16, Stuteke added eight, and O’Grady tallied five. But this was about Clark. She had to play well just to overcome her LSU demons and the trauma that came with it. There was pressure to perform.
It hasn’t been a great few weeks for her. She has been pedestrian at best. She has been caught whining to the refs to the point her father had to encourage her to stop it. This comes with the pressure to get the job done of winning a championship.
It turned out this was the best for her. She figured out how to handle adversity by doing the little things like setting up her teammates on offense, playing defense, and not overcompensating by shooting a three that she didn’t like. The Iowa star saved her best for the right time.
She is back where she belongs, in the Final Four, where she hopes to finish the job. After Monday night, who is anyone to doubt her?
