The highly anticipated Iowa Hawkeyes and LSU Tigers Elite Eight clash tipped off on Monday. The game between women's college basketball's two most important players, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, was expected to draw a huge audience and it delivered as some famous faces were seen in the audience.
$5M worth (per Celebrity Net Worth) Rapper NLE Choppa was one of the celebrities pictured in the stands.
The other celebrity spotted on Iowa's side of the court was actor Jason Sudeikis.
Rapper Travis Scott, who previously attended Iowa's game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, also tweeted his excitement about Monday's clashes, which include Paige Bueckers' UConn against JuJu Watkins' USC Trojans.
Iowa Hawkeyes seeks revenge after 2023 title loss to LSU
From the first buzzer, it was evident that Iowa was hungry for the win and they did it, taking home the victory 94-87. They took the lead and managed to create a 9-point difference at 6:42 in the first quarter.
However, the Hawkeyes hit a slump as they went scoreless between 3:16 in the first quarter and 9:34 in the second. Meanwhile, LSU managed to add 10 points and took the lead from Iowa.
The Tigers tried to maintain the lead but had to give it up as the scores were tied at 39-39 at 2:34 in the second quarter. From that point onwards, Iowa went on a rampage, adding points as Hailey Van Lith failed to contain Caitlin Clark. The guard, at one point, was seen throwing her hands up in frustration as Clark continuously made 3-pointers.
After halftime, a win for Iowa seemed probable as it had a 12-point lead and did not let the Tigers catch up. Gabbie Marshall did an excellent job at containing LSU while Clark added 41 points and took seven rebounds and 12 assists. The guard made 13-of-29 shots, including 9-of-20 from behind the arc. Kate Martin added 21 points while Sydney Affolter had 16.
LSU was led by Flau'Jae Johnson, who scored 23 points and took six rebounds. Mikaylah Williams added 18 points and seven rebounds while Angel Reese finished with 17 points and 20 rebounds.
With this win, the Iowa Hawkeyes have cemented their spot in the Final Four for the second straight time. This will be Caitlin Clark's last chance to give Iowa its only championship title in program history as she will be moving to the WNBA after this season.
On April 5, the Hawkeyes will take on the winners of the UConn vs Trojans game for a spot in the finals.
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