It was a rematch that lived up to the hype and more.
No. 1 Iowa and No. 3 LSU, the defending champion, met again in the Elite Eight of the 2024 women's NCAA Tournament, with the Hawkeyes advancing after a 97-84 win on Monday.
Iowa came out of the gates on fire, especially Caitlin Clark. But Angel Reese took matters into her own hands to put LSU up after the first.
But the high intensity and fast-paced affair resulted in poor-quality shots by LSU, and the Tigers eventually flamed out over the last three quarters.
Clark logged 41 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds, two steals and a block while shooting 13-for-29 overall, 9-for-20 from deep and 6-for-7 from the foul line. Fellow starting guard Kate Martin came alive in the second half to finish with 21 points.
Flau'jae Johnson led the Tigers with 23 points, though foul trouble plagued the guard in the third quarter and that made a difference.
Reese fouled out with just under two minutes left in the final quarter. She finished with 17 points, 20 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals while shooting 7-for-21 overall and 3-for-8 at the charity stripe.
But the main storyline was Clark and Co. avenging last year's title-game loss to move on in the 2024 tournament. Here's how social media reacted to the game:
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
Iowa will next play the winner of No. 1 USC and No. 3 UConn in the Final Four.
