Caitlyn Clark and Paige Bueckers led their respective teams to the Final Four on Monday night with performances befitting of their unique talents, as Iowa defeated LSU. 94-87, and UConn got the best of USC, 80-73.
Clark, facing a Tiger team that had defeated her in last year's national championship 102-85, finished with 41 points, 12 assists, and seven rebounds. She was 13-for-29 from the field, including hitting nine of 20 three-pointers.
The pace was up in the Hawkeyes-Tigers game, with LSU taking a 31-26 lead after one. However, Iowa used great ball movement, stellar interior defense (Angel Reese started 5-for-7 but went just 2-for-14 the rest of the way) and of course their three-point shooting, to get the win. Reese finished with 17 points and 20 rebounds but fouled out late in the contest. Flau'jae Johnson finished 23 points on 10-for-18, while Aneesa Morrow had a 14-point, 14-rebound triple-double. Mikaylah Williams added 18.
For the Hawkeyes, Kate Martin (21 points, six rebounds) and Sydney Affolter (16 points) contributed solid performances.
In the second game of the evening, Bueckers was spectacular. She finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. Aaliyah Edwards had 24 points and six rebounds.
USC freshman sensation JuJu Watkins scored 29 points and had 10 rebounds, going 9-for-25 from the field and hitting two of six three-point attempts. It wasn't the best game for the freshman, nor was it for the Trojans, who shot just 33 percent. The Huskies did a good job of defending, making things difficult for USC. McKenzie Forbes scored 24 on 8-for-22 shooting but made just five of 15 attempts from beyond the arc.
Reese is the projected seventh overall selection in this year's WNBA Draft. She can exercise her COVID eligibility extension though to return to Baton Rouge for one more season.
Watkins is undoubtedly the future of women's college basketball. She possesses all the skills offensively - ball handling, a three-point shot, a mid-range game, and can finish with contact while also being a great rebounder. The 6 foot, 2 inch freshman's 27 points per game were second in the nation, only to Clark's 31.7. Clark also managed to lead the nation in assists per game at 8.9.
The UConn-Iowa matchup will be a showdown between two of the country's top playmakers in Clark and Bueckers, who have all the attributes and are, like their freshman counterpart Watkins, complete offensive players.
As the Huskies-Hawkeyes game is the nightcap on Friday, at 9 p.m., South Carolina (36-0) will face three-seeded North Carolina State at 7 p.m.
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