Top 5 highest scoring Women's National Championship games of all time

A season ago, Caitlin Clark and Iowa played in the highest-scoring NCAA women's championship game ever. Can they repeat that a season later against South Carolina on Sunday?

The Hawkeyes have scored 91.4 points per game this season, which tops the nation. Coach Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks aren't exactly slow-moving either, with 85.3 ppg, which ranks third.

But despite a ton of high-scoring teams reaching the NCAA championship matchups, the title game often settles in as a low-scoring contest. Here's the competition if South Carolina vs. Iowa is to become one of the top-scoring championship battles ever.

Top 5 highest-scoring women's national championship games

Basketball Hall of Famer Sheryl Swoopes had a legendary game in the 1993 NCAA championship.

#5. 1993 (166 total points)

No. 2 seed Texas Tech outlasted No. 1 seed Ohio State 84-82 in this one. Much of the credit has to lie with Texas Tech star Sheryl Swoopes, who scored 47 points herself. Swoopes had 24 points in the second half, including an old-fashioned 3-point play with just under a minute to go that stretched Tech's lead to seven.

Ohio State had looked like a possible team of destiny after winning its regional final by two points and its semifinal game by a point over Iowa in overtime. But even destiny couldn't overcome Swoopes.

#4. 1998 (168 total points)

Top-seeded Tennessee overcame No. 3 seed Louisiana Tech 93-75 in this one. The Lady Vols finished off their only perfect season with a national title in this game. Tennessee might have been an even bigger juggernaut than that statistic suggests. In the Final Four semifinal game, UT trounced Arkansas by 28 points.

This was Louisiana Tech's sixth appearance in an NCAA title game. The Lady Techsters were an early power in women's basketball.

Tennessee's Chamique Holdscaw was the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, and she set an NCAA record by connecting on 64 shots. This was Tennessee's third national title in a row and sixth overall.

#3. 1990 (169 total points)

No. 1 seed Stanford bested No. 2 seed Auburn 88-81 in 1990. Stanford's Jennifer Azzi, playing minutes from her hometown in Knoxville, Tennessee, was the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after she led the Cardinal to their first NCAA crown. Stanford's Katy Steeding set a then-record with six 3-point baskets in the title game.

Meanwhile, Auburn lost the NCAA title game for the third consecutive year. The Tigers have never been back to another Final Four since. Carolyn Jones was an All-American for the Tigers and has since had her No. 21 jersey retired by the school.

#2. 1986 (178 total points)

Top-seeded Texas outscored top-seeded Southern Cal 97-81 in this title game. In 1986, the tournament was expanded to 40 teams, but Texas and USC both started in the equivalent of the modern round of 32. The Trojans boasted hoops legend Cheryl Miller, but Texas completed a perfect season with the win.

Texas held Miller to 16 points on just 2 for 11 shooting, with no points in the second half. While Cynthia Cooper scored 27 points to keep USC close, Texas had too much depth. Reserve Clarrisa Davis contributed 25 points off the bench and won the Most Outstanding Player honor. Texas has never won another NCAA crown and hasn't been back to the Final Four since 2003.

#1. 2023 (187 total points)

This was the first national title game appearance for LSU and Iowa, but the top-seeded Tigers thumped top-seeded Iowa 102-85. A fiery offensive performance by the Tigers led to a 17-point halftime advantage. While Iowa trimmed the lead to eight early in the fourth quarter, LSU was too far ahead.

LSU's Angel Reese won the Most Outstanding Player award with 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Caitlin Clark put up 30 points for the Hawkeyes, but LSU shot 54% overall and 65% from 3-point range.

Can this season's championship game top last season's high-scoring mark? The current betting over/under mark of 158.5 would come up well shy. But Clark is always a possible offensive explosion in waiting, and a shootout championship game remains plausible.