The Women’s Final Four did not disappoint Friday night, with both games decided late.
In the marquee matchup, the Iowa Hawkeyes (31-6) handed the defending champion South Carolina Gamecocks (36-1) their first loss, 77-73, to advance to Sunday’s national championship game.Â
The Hawkeyes will face the LSU Tigers (33-2), who battled back from a 12-point second-half deficit to defeat Virginia Tech (31-5), 79-72. It will be LSU’s first appearance in the national championship game.
Here are five takeaways from Friday night’s action.
Living up to the Women’s Final Four hype
There had been much hype surrounding the South Carolina-Iowa showdown, especially the matchup between the last two Naismith National Player of Year winners, Caitlin Clark of Iowa and Aliyah Boston of South Carolina.
Clark lit up South Carolina, scoring a Women’s Final Four semifinal record 41 points, including five 3-pointers, and adding 8 assists and 6 rebounds. She scored or assisted on all 18 of the Hawkeyes’ fourth-quarter points.Â
“All we did was believe in each other. We might not be the tallest, we knew they were going to beat us on the glass, but all we had to do was have some heart and some belief, and we came through; we needed big plays,” Clark told ESPN in a postgame interview.Â
Boston was in foul trouble for most of the first half and did not score her first field goal until the second half. She never really got untracked and finished with 8 points on 2-of-9 shooting from the field and 10 rebounds. Zia Cooke led South Carolina with 24 points.Â
Iowa’s defense comes up big
South Carolina dominated opponents with its offense all season on its way to a 36-0 record entering Friday night’s game. However, Iowa mucked it up defensively and gave the Gamecocks all they could handle and more, packing the paint and sending double teams at Boston forcing others to beat them. South Carolina shot 30-of-77 (39 percent) from the field and 20 percent (4-of-20) from beyond the arc. South Carolina also shot just 69 percent from the foul line, missing four shots, the margin of defeat.Â
Alexis Morris flexed her seniority in Women’s Final Four
LSU senior guard Alexis Morris is well-traveled. The Beaumont, Texas native has played for four different. This is her second time playing for Kim Mulkey after playing for the Hall of Fame coach at Baylor as a freshman.
On Friday, Morris showed her growth and maturity by leading the Tigers with a game-high 27 points. With LSU down 59-50 to start the fourth quarter, Morris keyed a decisive 22-3 run with a 3-pointer.
“I’m a senior; I’ve gotta be the glue for this team offensively,” Morris told ESPN’s Holly Rowe in a postgame interview. “Defensively, I knew my team needed a spark, so I had to trust in myself and my teammates, coaches and that’s why we’re competing for the national championship on Sunday baby.”
Bayou Barbie ties record for most double-doubles in a single season
Known as the “Bayou Barbie,” LSU’s Angel Reese’s energy is infectious. The third-year player, who spent her first two collegiate seasons at Maryland, has dominated all season. She added her 33rd double-double to tie an NCAA record. Reese was 11-of-19 from the field, doing most of her work in the post and also grabbing 12 rebounds and adding three steals.
“We had to play defense, come together, believe in each other, and play defense. The game wasn’t over. We have been in situations like this before, so just trusting in the coaches and believing in each other,” she told Rowe after the game.
Tigers breakthrough
LSU was down by as many as 12 in the third quarter after Virginia Tech switched to a zone, keying a 16-2 run from the end of the second half to the 9:17 mark of the third. After that, the Tigers settled in, keyed by Reese, Morris, and LaDazhia Williams, who had 16 points, and broke through to win their first Women’s Final Four game in six tries after falling short in five straight appearances from 2004-2008. The Tigers’ defense forced Virginia Tech to a tough shooting night from the perimeter. The Hokies were 9-of-31 from 3-point range, and Georgia Amoore, who made the most 3-pointers in a single Women’s NCAA Tournament, was only 4-of-15 from deep.Â