LSU came up short in its hopes of returning to the Final Four in Monday night’s Elite Eight loss to Iowa.
In a rematch of last year’s national championship, which was won by the Tigers, the Hawkeyes ultimately got their revenge this time around in a 94-87 victory that propelled it into the national semifinal.
Caitlin Clark was the star of the show, per usual. With [autotag]Hailey Van Lith[/autotag] guarding her most of the game, the Tigers had no answers as she dropped 41 points in a game Iowa controlled for most of the second half.
After the game, [autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag] was spotted talking to Clark in the handshake line, and after the game, she revealed her message for the likely top WNBA draft pick.
“I sure am glad you leaving,” Mulkey recalled saying. “I said, ‘Girl, you something else. I’ve never seen anything like it.'”
Mulkey also elaborated on the Tigers’ strategy in defending Clark, calling back to what she said before the game: You can’t stop her, you can only hope to contain her.
LSU clearly failed to do that.
“There’s not a lot of strategy,” Mulkey said. “You’ve got to guard her, nobody else seems to be able to guard her. We didn’t even guard her last year when we beat them. She’s just a generational player, and she just makes everybody around her better. That’s what the great ones do.”
Clark, like [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag], had the opportunity to return to college basketball next season. However, she announced last month that she would not remain at Iowa for a fifth season and will instead enter the draft, where she is projected to go first overall to the Indiana Fever.
Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno