"Too many careless mistakes by Caitlin Clark": Skip Bayless calls out $3.1M NIL-valued Iowa star as LSU erases early deficit with a 10-0 scoring run

Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes are going up against the LSU Tigers in Elite Eight. Iowa took the lead from the first buzzer on Monday, starting off with an eight-point difference that slowly reduced, and LSU tied at 26-26.

Iowa was leading 26-21 at 3:26 minutes in the first quarter. It remained the same until the second quarter when LSU took the lead 34-26.

Sports commentator Skip Bayless was critical of Clark's performance during the half, as he tweeted:

"Obviously too many careless mistakes by Caitlin Clark fueled that LSU run - after a great momentum-breaking time out by Kim Mulkey."

This game was highly anticipated after LSU's 2023 national championship win over Iowa. Commenting on the clash with Reese, Clark said:

"There's definitely that competitive fire. Both of us want to win more than anything, and that's how it should be when you're a competitor and you get into a situation like this, whether it was the national championship, whether it's the Elite Eight." (via ESPN)

"I think that's the main similarity is how competitive we are. We both grew up loving this game, and we're going to do anything we can to help our teams win."

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Angel Reese gets real about her relationship with Caitlin Clark

Despite their perceived on-court rivalry, Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark have both been vocal about their support for each other.

After last year's title game, Reese drew criticism for her trash-talking, and Caitlin Clark came to her defense, saying it was all part of the game and that nothing is personal. When the Iowa guard became the NCAA Division I women's all-time leading scorer in February, Reese congratulated her for writing "her-story".

On Sunday, before the Elite Eight clash, Reese once again spoke about Clark.

"I don't think people realize it's not personal. Once we get out between those lines, if I see you walking down the street, it's like, 'Hey, girl, what's up? Let's hang out,' Reese said.

"I think people just take it like we hate each other. Me and Caitlin Clark don't hate each other. I want everybody to understand that. It's just a super-competitive game. Once I get between those lines, there's no friends. I'm going to talk trash to you. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get in your head."

At the same time, Reese realizes that her actions make her unlikeable to some fans. She said:

"I'll take the villain role. I'll take the hit for it, but I know we're growing women's basketball. If this is the way we're going to do it, then this is the way we're going to do it. You either like it or you don't."

At the time of publishing, Iowa was leading the game 69-58 in the third quarter.

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