On Monday, the Iowa Hawkeyes beat the LSU Tigers 94-87 in the NCAA Tournament’s Elite 8 stage to advance to the Final Four. Hawkeyes superstar Caitlin Clark was, unsurprisingly, the star of the show. She finished the game with 41 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds, two steals, and one block to lead her team to a monumental win. In her post-game interview, Clark was overjoyed but channeled her inner Kobe Bryant and reminded the world that she’s eyeing more than a semifinal spot.
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“Lot of people counted us out at the beginning of the year with the people we lost and all we did was work really hard. To get back here was really hard. These regional was loaded with so much talent but job’s not finished.”
Clark’s closing statement was a throwback to Bryant’s iconic from the post-game press conference after the Los Angeles Lakers‘ Game 2 win over the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals. One of the journalists in attendance took exception to the superstar’s serious demeanor and asked if he wasn’t happy with the win. Bryant replied,
“What’s there to be happy about? Job’s not finished. Job finished? I don’t think so.”
Bryant’s iconic response was a timely reminder of his patented Mamba Mentality and has been a reference for athletes chasing success. Clark is no different as she and the Hawkeyes look to go one better than they did in last year’s NCAA Tournament.
The Iowa Hawkeye-LSU game was tied at 45-45 at halftime, but an incredible third quarter from the Hawkeyes saw them head into the final period with an 11-point lead. The Tigers tried to mount a comeback, but Iowa fended it off to beat LSU and advance to the semi-finals.
Sweet revenge for Caitlin Clark
The win was sweeter for Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes after what they endured in the 2023 NCAA Tournament Final against LSU. The Tigers’ Angel Reese infamously mocked the Iowa superstar in the game’s dying seconds by mimicking her opponent’s celebration in her face.
In an interview with ESPN after the loss, Clark said,
“I don’t think Angel should be criticized at all. I’m just one that competes, and she competed. I think everybody knew there was going to be a little trash talk in the entire tournament. It’s not just me and Angel. We’re all competitive. We all show our emotions in a different way.”
Clark’s 30-point effort in the 2023 final against LSU wasn’t enough to get the Hawkeyes over the line. However, she got her revenge with her magical performance on Monday. The Hawkeyes superstar attempted 20 three-pointers and converted nine to equal the NCAA Tournament record set by the Purdue Boilermakers’ Courtney Moses in 2012 and later matched by the UConn Huskies’ Kia Nurse in 2017.
Clark has had an incredible season. In March, she surpassed Pete Maravich’s mark of 3,667 points to become the all-time leading scorer in Division-I basketball. Her first three-pointer against LSU saw her break Diana Taurasi’s record (61) for most three-pointers in March Madness. With her seventh, she became the all-time leader in three-pointers in Division-I basketball, surpassing Taylor Robertson, who finished her Oklahoma Sooners career with 537 conversions from beyond the arc.
Clark has declared for the 2024 WNBA draft. She has at least one more game, potentially two, left in her glorious college basketball career. She hopes to cap off her time in Iowa by leading the program to their maiden national championship.
