LSU defeats Iowa to capture the NCAA women's basketball title for the first time.

 

There never really seemed to be any doubt that Kim Mulkey would one day lead the LSU Tigers to a national title when she shocked the women's collegiate basketball world by accepting the head coaching position.

But two years into the job, to do it? like the underdog? with every move counting against her team? vs the year's best player, Caitlin Clark? That was never actually in Mulkey's plans, she admits.

But, she was standing in the midst of the national championship game on Sunday afternoon, yelling at the officials while stomping her feet and flailing her arms. Her gold-and-black sequined Tigers print pantsuit shimmered under the arena lights.

Mulkey and unsung hero Jasmine Carson led the Tigers past Clark and Iowa 102-85 in the highest-scoring national championship game of all time, in front of a raucous, packed crowd that alternated between ecstatic and desperate with each momentum swing. The game delivered the high drama and jaw-dropping plays that many anticipated.

Mulkey is the first women's college basketball coach to guide two different teams to national titles, and this one is by far the most unexpected, as a No. 3 seed was criticized for playing a weak nonconference schedule for a significant portion of the season. Mulkey turned to her bench with one minute remaining in the game, cupped her mouth, and worked to control her sobs. L-S-U was chanted by the crowd.

Mulkey confessed, "I couldn't hold it." "I don't know if it was the fact that we're doing this in my second year back home, if it was the fact that I am home, or if it was looking across there at my daughter and my grandchildren, or if it was looking across at LSU, but I lost it. That's really not like me until the buzzer goes off, but I knew we were going to hold on and win this game.

"That ought to make it clear what I think about it. tears of delight and extreme emotion."

Angel Reese gestured at Clark while pointing at her ring finger and making the "You can't see me" hand motion popularized by professional wrestler John Cena in the closing moments.

Mulkey rested against the bench while her players danced all around her. Mulkey was surrounded by her staff.

Freshman Flau'Jae Johnson said, "She's the only coach in the world, in America, in the universe who has two national championships at two different institutions "That is a legend. I arrived here for that reason. A national title and being named freshman of the year were on my vision board. I'm able to remove them both. I had dreams about it happening because I was aware that it may."

With Clark's performance during the NCAA tournament, Iowa was the favorite going into the championship game. Despite losing, Clark set the NCAA tournament record for most points scored in a single men's or women's game (191).

Clark finished with 30 points on 9 of 22 shooting after two games in which he scored 41 points, one of which included a victory over No. 1 South Carolina.

Clark admitted that he could have made a few more attacks around the rim tonight "They played pretty solid defense, in my opinion. I believed they had a few more folks waiting for me than South Carolina did. At the conclusion of the game, you kind of had to get up in the hopes of getting your team to come back together. I'm proud of the fact that I was able to play the most games in a season, which undoubtedly helped me break the record."

The crowd oohed and aahed when Clark opened the game with the kind of long 3-pointers that have made her a household name outside of Iowa.

Yet, the Tigers claimed that they really believed that they belonged in this situation, and this belief was evident in the way they played with each successful shot and steal.

The LSU All-American Reese would be able to keep up with Clark, right?

Reese was sent to the bench with two fouls late in the first quarter and sat out the entire second, so the truly unexpected came in the form of three-time transfer and former LSU starter Carson, who simply could not miss by sinking one 3 after another in a stunning performance that improbably defeated Clark in the first half.

As the game began, LSU assistant Chante' Crutchfield reportedly told Carson, "Tonight's your night."

In this game, Carson said, "I simply wanted to do anything my team needed from me, whether it was defense, rebounding, or just anything."

Mulkey and Iowa coach Lisa Bluder both expressed their displeasure with the refereeing, which resulted in seven players receiving two foul calls in the first half.

With Reese out, LSU was still able to gain an advantage because to Carson, who finished the first half with 21 points, a perfect 7-of-7 (5-of-5 from three), including a clutch 3-pointer just before the break. Clark finished with 16 points.

Clark made her trademark shots, but she was also called for a questionable technical foul in the third quarter after flipping the ball behind her back out of bounds following a foul called on a teammate, and she did not quite have enough to lead the comeback charge. LSU led 59-42 at the half, and even though the Hawkeyes showed plenty of fight in the second half, they could not cut the deficit enough to make a serious run at the lead.

Although LSU's first women's basketball championship in school history could not have come at a better time given where this team was at the beginning of the season, Clark's dream of helping Iowa win that elusive national championship will have to wait another year.

Mulkey's squad included nine new players, thus she was unsure of what to expect from them. When she stated before the Sweet 16 that she didn't have a playbook for how to win a national championship after two years of operation, her players responded "The plan is in her. Mulkey is the GOAT as a coach. Coach Mulkey was all that LSU required."

Although she and her teammates were "disrespected" by the way Iowa defended the South Carolina guards, it was Morris who attempted to warn everyone what was about to happen "Going into that game, I'm going to take that personally. You'll have to watch over us."

LSU shot 54%, including 65% from 3-point range; you have to go back to their game against Missouri on Jan. 12 to find a day when they shot that well. Johnson and her teammates stated they felt they had a point to prove.

"They wrote us off because they believed LSU would fail. We're real hoopers, and our college team is the best ""Stamp it," Johnson said.

Even when Iowa guarded LSU, the Tigers made the shots they had not made all season, and Mulkey found herself on her way to a fourth national championship, placing her third all-time among coaches.

Mulkey recalled the five Final Four banners that were hanging from the rafters during her opening LSU news conference at the Pete Maravich Assembly Hall, where she requested that everyone in attendance turn around.

Mulkey remarked, "I came home to become national champions, but nowhere on there did it indicate that "I'm glad I don't have to worry about it any more. seeing Seimone Augustus crying after the game and other former LSU players who were actually a part of those Final Fours but couldn't quite make it across the finish line.

"I really don't know how to articulate it. Just a profound thankfulness and happiness," he said. "It's emotional to walk down the hall and see my old Baylor teammates that won championships with me, waiting for me. To look in the seats and see my former Louisiana Tech players."