Lisa Bluder cuts down the net following Iowa advancing to Final Four
The Elite Eight matchup between the defending national champion LSU Tigers and last year’s runner-up, the Iowa Hawkeyes, more than delivered to start Monday night’s action. Both teams fought valiantly in the Albany 2 Regional finale, but in the end, the Hawkeyes picked up the win, advancing to this year’s women’s Final Four in Cleveland, Ohio.
Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder capped off their team celebration by climbing the ladder and cutting the net, officially signifying they have punched their ticket for this year’s Final Four and are just two wins away from being crowned national champions. You can check out Bluder taking part in the tradition in the video below.
Caitlin Clark was the star of the show, setting multiple NCAA records in the victory. The Hawkeyes’ superstar guard finished the game with 41 points, 12 assists, and seven rebounds. Her rival on the LSU sideline, Angel Reese, fouled out of the game late in the fourth quarter after pulling down an impressive 20 rebounds while adding 17 points, four assists, and three blocks.
With a trip to the Final Four on the line, Clark and her teammates drained big shot after big shot to keep LSU at bay in the second half. The Hawkeyes put on a clinic with their shooting in the contest from both beyond the arc and the charity stripe. Iowa finished the game 13-31 from three and 17-22 from the free throw line. In comparison, LSU shot just 8-24 from deep and went 11-17 from the free throw line. The Tigers did have the advantage in rebounds (54-36) and in points in the paint (44-36). But that was not enough, as the defending national champions have been sent packing.
In the first half, it was a tightly contested battle, with LSU and Iowa tied at 45 at the intermission. However, a hot start to the third quarter gave the Hawkeyes a double-digit lead early, which they held on to start the fourth quarter. The Hawkeyes took an 11-point lead into the final frame and did not look back as they took down the defending national champions 94-87.
Now that the hard part is out of the way, all the Hawkeyes’ have to do is sit back and wait to see who wins the last game of the Elite Eight round between the UConn Huskies and USC Trojans; a matchup that will feature two more big-time players in the Huskies Paige Bueckers and the Trojans Juju Watkins.