The LSU women’s basketball team couldn’t complete the repeat in 2024.
The Tigers fought throughout against top-seeded Iowa in the Elite Eight on Monday night, but an unstoppable outing from Caitlin Clark, who finished with 41 points, proved to be too much.
Coach Kim Mulkey’s team saw its season come to an end with a 94-87 loss to the Hawkeyes as it finished the season 31-6.
LSU found itself in an early hole, trailing by as many as nine points in the first quarter as Clark got off to a red-hot start. But she eventually cooled down despite finishing the first half with 19 points, and LSU managed to catch back up.
It finished the quarter on top by five, but the Hawkeyes made it difficult to extend that lead. Iowa ultimately managed to reclaim it in the final minute, but a contest layup at the buzzer from [autotag]Flau’Jae Johnson[/autotag] tied it at 45 at halftime.
The second half did not start the way LSU wanted, however. Clark got hot again early in the third quarter, and the Hawkeyes stretched a double-digit lead at one point in the frame. Entering the final quarter, the Tigers had an 11-point deficit to make up.
While they continued to battle and outscored Iowa in the final quarter, they weren’t able to do it. Four Tigers scored in double figures with Johnson leading the way with 23 and [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] recording a 17-point, 20-rebound double-double in what could have been her final game at LSU.
But as a team, they shot just 39% from the field, which wasn’t enough against that Iowa attack. The Hawkeyes move on to face either UConn or USC in the Final Four.
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