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University of Iowa Athletics

Hawkeyes Fall Short in National Title to LSU

Box Score Box Score (PDF) Postgame Press Conference

DALLAS – No-2 Seed Iowa women’s basketball fell short to 3-Seed LSU, 102-85, inside American Airlines Center on Sunday afternoon in the National Championship.

National Player of the Year, Caitlin Clark, recorded her fourteenth 30-point game, finishing with 30 points, eight assists, and two rebounds. Monika Czinano finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds in her final game as a Hawkeye. Kate Martin had 13 points and six assists, while McKenna Warnock ended with nine points and six rebounds her last game. Gabbie Marshall had 12 points, going 2-for-3 from behind the arc.

It was a back-and-forth battle in the first, as both teams shot over 50 percent from the three. Iowa forced three turnovers in the first two minutes, capitalizing with seven quick points to be up by four. LSU went on its own run, but Clark hit back-to-back threes to tie it up at 18 with under four to go. Marshall sunk free throws in the final minute to go into the second down by five.


Marshall and Martin swished two three-pointers to take a, 29-28, lead at the start of the second. Marshall had a quarter-high seven points for the team, but the Tigers went 6-for-7 from the three to take a, 59-42, lead at half.


The Hawkeyes rallied in the third, going on a 15-2 run in three minutes to get within nine. Iowa held LSU to 16 points in the third, with Clark and Czinano having 14 of the team’s 22 points. The Hawkeyes headed into the final 10 minutes of the game trailing, 75-64.

Foul trouble was a big contributor in the fourth, as Iowa wasn’t able to get within 10 of LSU to fall short in their remarkable run.

I'm so proud of my team. I'm proud of the women they are. I'm proud of what they stand for. The Iowa fans that came here in droves, I'm so thankful for them.

P. SUE BECKWITH, MD, HEAD COACH LISA BLUDER

QUOTING P. SUE BECKWITH, MD, HEAD COACH LISA BLUDER
I just want to congratulate LSU. I thought they played a phenomenal game. They shot the ball really, really well today. Jasmine Carson came off the bench and played extremely well. Last year, she did better than what we thought. They just were ready to go. They did a great job. I’m so proud of my team. I’m proud of the women they are. I’m proud of what they stand for. The Iowa fans that came here in droves, I’m so thankful for them. I’m thankful that I get to coach at a university like the University of Iowa. I’m telling you, this is brutal. It’s really tough to walk out of that locker room today and to not be able to coach Monika and the McKenna ever again, that’s tough. I’m very grateful for the season we had, and I don’t want anything to take away from that. We played the National Championship Game.

POSTGAME NOTES
– NPOY Caitlin Clark became the first player in Division I women’s basketball history to record more than 1,000 points and 300 assists in the same season.
– Today was Clark’s 100th game, she has netted the most points by a Division I men’s or women’s basketball player in that time span. Since the 1999-2000 season, only four players have scored 2,500 points. (Elena Delle Donne, Keydren Clark, Steph Curry)


– Clark had 191 points and 60 assists in this NCAA Tournament.

– Clark broke the NCAA Tournament title record for most made 3-point field goals. (8)

– The Iowa-LSU crowd broke the record for the largest attended game in NCAA Tournament Championship history.

– Iowa has shot 50% or better from the field in in 23 of its last 28 quarters.
– In postseason play, Gabbie Marshall is 25-50 from 3-point range.
– McKenna Warnock finished her Hawkeye career with 1,277 points.
– Monika Czinano finished her Hawkeye career with 2,413 points and 787 rebounds in 162 games played. She shot 67% in five seasons of action and played in 162 games.
– Clark, Czinano, Marshall, Martin, and Warnock have made 92 starts together, the most out of any DI women’s basketball team in the 20 seasons.
– Iowa’s 31 wins this season is the most in program history.
– Clark is the only player in the nation with more than 1,000 points, 240 rebounds, 310 assists, and 45 steals this season.

POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE

THANK YOU

 

 

 

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