"Real deal", "The truth": Josh Hart and Pat Beverley hail Caitlin Clark for avenging 2023 loss against Angel Reese 

Last year, Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes fell 102-85 to Angel Reese and the LSU Tigers in the NCAA women’s championship. In what turned out to be the most-watched women’s basketball in TV history, Clark’s second-seeded team couldn’t do much against their third-ranked opponents. Last year’s national Player of the Year watched as Reese and her teammates celebrated the hard-earned win.

This year’s titanic battle between Clark and Reese happened in the Elite Eight instead of the Finals. Still, Iowa’s superstar did not mind the different scenario. She lit up her nemesis for 41 points to drag Iowa to the Final Four for the second straight year. When LSU mounted a rally late in the game, Clark hit timely shots and dictated the tempo to complete her heroics.

Patrick Beverley, who likely watched the action, promptly tweeted his appreciation of Caitlin Clark’s performance:

“She the Real Deal”

New York Knicks' Josh Hart was just as effusive in his praise:

“Caitlin Clark the truth”

The Iowa-LSU game was a slugfest in the first half with neither team getting much cushion from the other. Angel Reese injured his ankle in the second half after contesting one of Clark’s shots. The LSU star briefly left the game for the training staff to check on her. She rode the bike for some time before eventually returning to finish the game.

Reese, despite playing through a bum ankle, put up a monster stat line of 17 points, 20 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals. She also got solid support from Flau’Jae Johnson, Aneesah Morrow and Mikaylah Williams.

The night, however, belonged to Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes. Clark hit 13-of-29 shots that included a 9-for-20 clip from behind the arc. She added 12 assists, seven rebounds, two steals and one block to produce one of the NCAA tournament history’s most spectacular performances.

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Caitlin Clark and Hawkeyes still have a long way to go

Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes’ March Madness stint continues. They have booked a seat in the Final Four, but lifting the championship is still a long way to go. Clark and her teammates are already waiting for who emerges between the USC-UConn tussle.

USC has JuJu Watkins while UConn features Paige Bueckers. They are the cornerstones of their respective teams but they are also surrounded by superb talent. The Hawkeyes still have a tough stretch ahead for them to win all the marbles.