The LSU women defeated Virginia Tech in the Final Four to reach their first title game

Caitlin Clark Leads Second-seed Iowa to a Final Four in the Semi-Inclusive Biggs Tournament

South Carolina’s march to the national championship title seemed all but assured – the defending champion and No.1 seed was on a 42-straight game win streak, spanning 389 days and dating back to last season’s national title run.

It would take one of the great NCAA performances to topple the Gamecocks, and that is exactly what Caitlin Clark produced on Friday as she led second-seed Iowa to a stunning 77-73 victory in the Final Four over the undefeated defending champion at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

All in all, Clark scored 41 points – a women’s Final Four record – in front of a raucous 19,000-plus fans, following up her 41-point triple-double in the Elite Eight.

The newly crowned AP Player of the Year also added eight assists and six rebounds, as well as the last 13 points for the Hawkeyes in the fourth quarter, propelling them to their first NCAA title game in program history.

“All we did is believe in each other,” Clark said on the ESPN broadcast after the game. “You know we might not be the tallest, we knew they were going to beat us on the glass but all we had to do is have some heart and some belief and you know we came through when we needed big plays and I’m just so proud of this group.”

South Carolina guard Zia Cooke tallied 24 points and eight rebounds, while star forward Aliyah Boston struggled in the loss, scoring eight points on 2-of-9 shooting from the field.

A win by Iowa in the national title game will force LSU to play the winner of the game between Clark and Reese on Sunday.

Trailing 59-50 after three quarters, LSU went ahead with a 15-0 run over a five-minute span. Falu’jae Johnson had a steal and drove for a layup as the Tigers went ahead for the first time since the first half.

LSU guard Morris scored a game-high 27 points, and star forward Reese added 24 points and 12 rebounds, including a combined 20 of LSU’s 29 points in the fourth quarter.

“It’s like a dream. Reese said that it hasn’t hit him that he is at the Final Four. “I’m not sure what to think right now.” It’s crazy how much has changed in a year.

Mulkey — in a carnation pink top this time — won three national titles in four Final Four appearances over her 21 seasons at Baylor. She is only the second coach to lead two different teams to the national championship game. In 1982, Rutgers’ C.Vivian Stringer joined Cheyney in the first women’s tournament, and Rutgers did it again in 2007.

“I came home for lots of reasons,” Mulkey said. One day, a championship banner could be hung in the PMAC. Never, ever do you think you’re going to do something like this in two years.”

It took LSU only two seasons to get there with the feisty and flamboyantly dressed coach, and a big comeback in the national semifinal game that was quite an undercard Friday night.

“I’m never satisfied. I’m super-excited that we won, but I’m hungry,” said Morris, who jumped on a courtside table and fired up LSU fans after the game. I’m greedy. I want to complete the story so I can win it all.

Reese had six points in that game-turning spurt, including a basket after Morris’ attempted 3-pointer clanked off the front rim. Reese followed Morris’ rebound shot with her own miss.

Virginia Tech was in the Final Four for the first time thanks to the 18 points and 12 boards of Elizabeth Kitley. Georgia Amoore and Kayana Traylor each had 17 points, while Cayla King had 14.

Amoore set a new record for the most 3-pointers in an NCAA tournament with 24, but she had a tough night shooting, going 4 of 17 overall, including 4 of 15 from beyond the rim. She passed the record held by Kia Nurse, who set it in the UConn’s national semifinals in the 2017 tourney. Arizona’s Aari McDonald had 22 in six NCAA tourney games two years ago.

Morris had opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer for LSU and later had a layup after a steal by Johnson. Hokies coach Kenny Brooks called a timeout.

“I think we had a few crucial turnovers as well as missed box-outs where they scored on second-chance opportunities,” Traylor said. “That’s the thing it came down to.”

“They hit a couple of shots, gave them a little bit of momentum. They hit a 3 right off the bat … kind of changed the momentum,” Brooks said. They were aggressive in passing. But they also were a little bit more aggressive down low.”

But it was the Tigers who led for 17:55 of the first half with the Hokies getting off to a slow start shooting — they missed eight of their first nine shots — that an LSU cheerleader had an assist even before they officially had a shot.

King was charged with a turnover on a ball that hit the rim and bounced over the top of the backboard and got stuck there. With encouragement from officials and others at that end, a male cheerleader lifted up a female cheerleader, who knocked the ball down.