Caitlin Clark leads Iowa win in LSU rematch to reach Final Four - ESPN

ALBANY, N.Y. — In a game that lived up to the hype — a rematch of the 2023 women's NCAA tournament championship game — only one star from a year ago could move on to the Final Four. And that is the biggest star of college basketball this season: Caitlin Clark.

For the second year in a row, Clark had a legendary Elite Eight performance, leading her No. 1 seed Iowa Hawkeyes to a 94-87 victory over defending national champion LSU, the No. 3 seed in the Albany 2 Regional.

Clark had 41 points, 12 assists and 7 rebounds, breaking even more records in what has been a record-shattering senior season. She was named the regional's Most Outstanding Player.

But what matters most to Clark is getting another chance at a national championship, something Iowa was denied last season in a 102-85 loss to LSU. Clark will lead Iowa against UConn, the Portland 3 Regional winner, on Friday in the national semifinals.

Following the victory, Clark briefly sat on the court amid confetti, her teammates and their family members taking photos around her as nets were cut. «Ted Lasso» star Jason Sudeikis, wearing a hoodie that said, «Everyone watches women's sports,» was part of the Iowa celebration, too. But for a brief period, Clark was in her own world.

«I think just having a little silence for myself was the biggest thing,» Clark said. «You're a competitor, you work so hard for 40 minutes — just to soak it in, enjoy it, take a couple of deep breaths, because these moments go fast. My career is almost over.»

Her college career, that is: Clark is expected to be selected at No. 1 by the Indiana Fever in the April 15 WNBA draft. But she still has at least one more game to wear an Iowa jersey, the No. 22 that has become one of the most popular in