Clark, Iowa win to set up rematch with defending NCAA champion LSU (2024)

No. 1 IOWA 89, No. 5 COLORADO 68

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Let the hype begin!

Caitlin Clark had 29 points and 15 assists to lead top-seeded Iowa to an 89-68 win over fifth-seeded Colorado in the women's NCAA Tournament on Saturday, setting up a rematch of last year's national title game against LSU.

"I think we're excited. Anytime you have a chance to go up against somebody you lost to, it brings a little more energy," Clark said. "I think overall it's just going to be a really great game for women's basketball. They're really solid one through five. We know we are going to have to rebound the basketball."

The Tigers, who beat the Hawkeyes in the championship game a year ago, topped UCLA in Saturday's earlier semifinal in the Albany 2 Region. The teams will play Monday night.

"I think everyone's pretty excited for it," Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. "These are two really good basketball teams. Unfortunate they are meeting this early. Everyone that's left now is really good. LSU is certainly that. It's going to be highly emotional and highly competitive."

Clark got the Hawkeyes (32-4) going early, driving to the basket for easy layups or throwing fantastic passes. About the only thing missing from Clark's day was one of her signature midcourt logo shots. She took a couple, but missed.

The NCAA's all-time Division I scoring leader has dazzled off the court as well. She's a transcendent player who has brought record ratings and attendance to the sport. The sold-out crowd was filled with girls and boys wearing No. 22 Iowa shirts who cheered at every play their favorite player made. Clark spent a few minutes after the buzzer signing autographs before she went back to the locker room.

Clark threaded the needle with a beautiful bounce pass to Hannah Stuelke for a layup before the end of the first quarter that gave the Hawkeyes a 22-14 lead. Clark had six points, six assists and three rebounds in the opening 10 minutes.

She finished the first half with 15 points and eight assists as the Hawkeyes were up 48-35 at the break.

Iowa scored the first six points of the third quarter and Colorado (24-10) could not get within single digits the rest of the way.

"We had the punch to begin the third quarter," Bluder said. "Set the tone early in both the halves which was really important."

The Buffaloes made their first back-to-back trips to the Sweet 16 since the 2002-03. They also were knocked out last year by Iowa, falling 87-77 in the same round.

Aaronette Vonleh scored 13 points and Frida Formann had 12 for the Buffs.

"It is tough. Never want to go out like that," Colorado's Jaylyn Sherrod said. "Some things we can all look back at and say we could have done better. Proud of this team."

No. 3 LSU 78, No. 2 UCLA 69

ALBANY, N.Y. — Angel Reese says LSU's players are embracing the role of "good villains” as they make a run toward repeating as national champions.

Flau’jae Johnson had 24 points and 12 rebounds and Reese put up her 26th double-double of the season Saturday as LSU (31-5) beat UCLA 78-69 in the Sweet 16.

Reese had 16 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out late in the game for the Tigers, who closed the game on a 14-2 run. Aneesah Morrow had 17 points and Mikaylah Williams added 12.

And all the while the Tigers did their usual trash-talking, screaming and waving goodbye to their opponent.

“We’re the good villains,” Reese said. “We’re impacting the game so much and all of us are super competitive and want to win and do whatever it takes to win. We’re just changing the game."

LSU advanced to the Elite Eight, where it will face Caitlin Clark and Iowa on Monday night in a rematch of last year's national championship game. The Hawkeyes beat Colorado 89-68 in Saturday's second semifinal game in the Albany 2 Region.

Lauren Betts had 14 points and 17 rebounds for UCLA, which finished the season at 27-7. Londynn Jones and Gabriela Jaquez also put up 14 points each and Kiki Rice scored 13 for the Bruins.

LSU led by seven points at halftime. But after making just two of their first 20 shots from 3-point range, the Bruins hit four of their next five.

Consecutive 3-pointers from Jones keyed an 11-2 run that gave UCLA the lead at 45-44, and the teams were tied at 48 headed into the fourth quarter.

Jaquez hit a jumper that gave the Bruins a 67-64 lead with 2:46 left. But LSU responded with its run, sparked when Reese blocked a shot by Betts, leading to a drive by Johnson that fouled out Rice.

“I think that I wasn’t scared of the moment,” Johnson said of her game. “I really loved the delight. I love that underdog feeling. Coach Mulkey told me go do what you do, and I did.”

Johnson had two early 3-pointers in the first half. Her spinning baseline drive and layup highlighted an 8-0 LSU spurt that put the Tigers up 25-18.

The Bruins made only one of 16 shots from behind the arc before Jones’ 3-pointer from the left wing just before the halftime buzzer. That ended an 8-0 LSU run and cut what had been a 10-point lead to 34-27.

“Credit to LSU,” Bruins coach Cori Close said. “They got the shots that they wanted down the stretch, and we didn’t get the shots that we wanted. We did not execute the way that we needed to, and that’s one that’s going to sting for a really long time for me.

No. 1 SOUTHERN CAL 74, No. 5 BAYLOR 70

PORTLAND, Ore. — Freshman All-American JuJu Watkins drove the length of the floor for a go-ahead three-point play with 3:13 left and finished with 30 points, leading top-seeded Southern California past Baylor 74-70 on Saturday and into the Elite Eight of the women's NCAA Tournament for the first time in 30 years.

Watkins scored nine straight points for the Trojans in the closing minutes and powered a decisive 8-0 run. McKenzie Forbes added 14 points for USC (29-5), which will face either third-seeded UConn or seventh-seeded Duke on Monday in the Portland 3 Region final for a spot in the Final Four.

Sarah Andrews scored 17 points for Baylor (26-8), which was making its 20th straight March Madness appearance and was vying for its first Elite Eight spot since 2021, Kim Mulkey's final season as coach of the Bears.

USC won national titles in 1983 and ‘84, but the Trojans’ deepest run in the tournament since was a regional final loss in 1994 under coach Cheryl Miller to Louisiana Tech.

Watkins surpassed Ohio State's Kelsey Mitchell (873 points in 2014-15) for second on the all-time freshman scoring list. The 18-year-old Los Angeles native has 891 points, seven shy of the record set by San Diego State's Tina Hutchinson in 1984.

Watkins — the nation's second-leading scorer behind Iowa's Caitlin Clark — missed 20 shots from the field, going 8 of 28 overall and 2 of 11 from 3-point range, but went 12 of 13 from the free-throw line.

The Trojans led by 11 points in the opening half, but Baylor closed the gap in the third quarter and moved in front 50-49 on Andrews’ 3-pointer.

Jada Walker hit consecutive baskets to give the Bears a 57-53 lead going into the fourth quarter. USC quickly regained the lead, 59-57, on Forbes’ 3-pointer with 9:08 left.

Jada Walker’s jumper gave Baylor a 62-59 lead with 4:51 to go. Watkins' fast-break layup and subsequent free throw put the Trojans ahead to stay, 67-64.

Andrews made two 3s in the final minutes, banking one in with 23 seconds to go, but the Bears got no closer, thanks in part to Watkins' free-throw shooting.

It was Watkins’ 14th game this season with 30 or more points. She had 28 points and 11 rebounds in a 73-55 victory over Kansas to reach the Sweet 16.

Watkins has already set USC’s single-season scoring record — for men or women.

The Bears used physicality to counter USC’s size advantage and jumped to an early 7-2 lead. The Trojans, led by Watkins with eight points, had an 18-16 lead after the opening quarter.

USC stretched the lead to 24-19, but Edwards responded with a 3-pointer. The Trojans pulled ahead 35-24 late in the second period and led 37-31 at the half.