Carson, Bench Carry Mulkey’s Tigers to a National Championship
DALLAS — The LSU Women’s Basketball Team (34-2) beat the Iowa Hawkeyes (31-7) to claim their first-ever national championship Sunday afternoon by a score of 102-85.
A hot shooting first half from substitute Jasmine Carson saw LSU through foul trouble and a cold shooting third quarter before stars Angel Reese and Alexis Morris sealed the title for the Tigers.
Carson led LSU with 22 points with just one missed shot. Meanwhile, Alexis Morris nearly registered a double-double with 21 points and nine assists.
LaDazhia Williams steadied the Tigers throughout on her way to 20 points, and Reese finished with a 15 and 10 double-double to set the single-season NCAA double-doubles record.
Heading into the game, Kim Mulkey and company knew that slowing down Caitlin would be hard, but the national player of the year didn’t look troubled at all in the first quarter. Clark put up 14 of her 30 points in the frame.
However, Reese was dominant in her own way for the Tigers with timely buckets and rebounds to keep the momentum from tilting too far in favor of Iowa.
Key early threes from Kateri Poole and Flau’jae Johnson helped the Tigers work a five-point lead by the end of the first frame, 27-22.
The Hawkeyes made a strong push at the start of the second quarter with an 8-2 run to take a 30-29 lead, but LSU countered with a great shotmaking far from the basket to make an 8-0 run of their own.
Then, as Angel Reese and Alexis Morris sat on the bench with foul trouble, Jasmine Carson took over and Caitlin Clark picked up her third personal foul of the half.
Carson hit five of the Tigers' last eight shots of the half and finished the half with an exclamation point, banking in a deep three at the buzzer to make the LSU lead 59-42. Carson went 7-for-7 with 21 points through the first two quarters…
At the half, the LSU bench had 29 points and the team as a whole was shooting 58% from the field including 9-for-12 from deep. It was an absolutely ridiculous offensive display and could not be matched by the Tigers in the second half nor overcome by the Hawkeyes.
The third quarter was the nerviest time for LSU, with Iowa making a frantic 15-2 comeback run before Clark picked up a technical foul, and momentum was taken back by the Tigers.
The lead got as low as seven, but Morris started cooking and scored 17 of her 21 points down the stretch to leave no doubt.
LSU has now won its first Women’s Basketball National Championship and Kim Mulkey is now personally 4-0 in national championship games.
With Mulkey achieving the ultimate goal barely over 700 days after arriving at LSU, one is left to wonder how much more success she might be able to bring to Baton Rouge in the coming years. After celebrating this victory thoroughly of course.
LSU 2023 Women's National Champs Men's Locker Room Tee
from: Alumni Hall 
LSU 2023 Women's National Champs Locker Room Tee
from: Alumni Hall 
LSU 2023 Women's National Champs Locker Room C99 Hat
from: Alumni Hall 
LSU YOUTH 2023 Women's National Champs Locker Room Tee
from: Alumni Hall 
LSU Antigua 2023 Women's National Champs Tribute Polo
from: Alumni Hall 