Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes Defeat Angel Reese’s LSU Tigers in Epic Rematch Game

Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes eliminated the LSU Tigers 94-87 to advance to the Final Four in a highly-anticipated rematch after the women’s basketball teams went head to head in last year’s championship game.

Clark, 22, had 41 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists in the victory, leading the Hawkeyes to their second straight Final Four. They will play UConn in the national semifinals Friday night.

Angel Reese had 17 points, 22 rebounds and four assists for LSU. The Tigers’ lead scorer was Flau’jae Johnson with 23. The loss denied the Tigers an opportunity to be the first repeat champions since UConn in 2016.

The tense game was tied at 45 at halftime, but Clark could not be stopped in the third quarter. She hit four 3-pointers in the third quarter and the Hawkeyes began pulling away. Clark’s fourth 3-pointer in the quarter made her the all-time leader in scoring among NCAA Division I players, reports the Associated Press.

“A lot of people counted us out at the beginning of the year with the people we lost and all we did was work really hard,” Clark told ESPN after the game. “To get back here is really hard. This region was loaded with so much talent. The job’s not finished.”

LSU and Iowa has been the most anticipated matchup of the 2024 March Madness Tournament largely in thanks to its stars, Reese and Clark. 

After the Tigers defeated Iowa in last year’s championship game, Reese became well known for her “You can’t see me” taunts toward the Hawkeyes guard — who had been doing the same taunt earlier in the tournament — went viral among basketball fans.

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Before Monday’s matchup, Reese spoke highly of Clark and said “it’s not personal” when the two college stars go at each other on the court. 

“Once we get out between those lines… if I see you walking down the street, it’s like, ‘Hey, girl, what’s up? Let’s hang out.’ I think people just take it like we hate each other,” Reese said to reporters. “Me and Caitlin Clark don’t hate each other. I want everybody to understand that. It’s just a super-competitive game.”

“Once I get between those lines, there’s no friends,” the star forward continued. “I have plenty of friends outside of the game. But when I get between those lines, we’re not we’re not friends. We’re not buddies.”

Clark, who is expected to go first overall in this month’s WNBA Draft, reminded fans and the media that beyond this tournament, both she and Reese have bright futures ahead in basketball. 

“I think both of our careers, whether she decides to stay or to go, we’ll have great careers in the WNBA, and that’s been both of our dreams all along,” Clark said of her and Reese.

“I think we’re both excited for that, as well,” she added.