WNBA stars, more chime in on Caitlin Clark, Iowa in women's Final Four

DALLAS — Driven by the history-making play of Caitlin Clark, the Iowa Hawkeyes are in their first national championship game and play the LSU Tigers on Sunday (3:30 E.T. p.m., ABC/ESPN App) for the 2023 NCAA title.

Clark was already the most recognizable player in women's college basketball before the NCAA tournament tipped off. Her legend has only grown over the last three weeks. In Friday's national semifinal upset of the previously unbeaten and defending champion South Carolina Gamecocks, who were the top defensive team in the country this season, Clark scored 41 points and handed out eight assists, becoming the first player in men's or women's NCAA tournament history to score 40 points in consecutive games.

Just five days earlier, she notched 41 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists against the Louisville Cardinals in the regional final — the first 40-point triple-double in the history of either tournament.

The numbers are amazing. Clark's impact on Iowa has been even more incredible. In Iowa's five games in the NCAA tournament, Clark's shooting and passing have accounted for 64% of the Hawkeyes' offense, and she is now averaging 29.8 points, 10.3 assists, and 6.5 rebounds since Iowa began the nine-game winning streak that produced a Big Ten tournament championship and a run to the title game.

Clark has been the talk of Dallas. No player has garnered more attention or generated more conversation. And while Iowa will have its hands full defending LSU's Angel Reese and Alexis Morris, who combined for 51 of LSU's 79 points Friday, players, coaches and analysts have had plenty to say about Clark in Dallas, some even providing scouting reports ahead of Sunday's final.

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