NCAA Women's Tournament Elite Eight scores: Caitlin Clark powers Iowa to Final Four; LSU advances to Dallas

Clark went off for 41 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in the first triple-double in NCAA Women's Tournament history

Elite Eight action in the 2023 Women's NCAA Tournament began Sunday, and the two victors that will advance to the Final Four for made it through completely different methods. 

In the opening game, No. 3 seed LSU topped No. 9 seed Miami 54-42 in a defensive slugfest, as both teams shot just over 30% from the field and were a combined 1-for-27 from 3-point range. LSU pounded Miami down low, out-rebounding the Hurricanes 49-35 with Angel Reese grabbing a game-high 18 boards. Reese was quiet offensively but dominant in every other facet of the game, as she registered three steals and two blocks to go along with her huge rebound total. By virtue of its win, LSU will play in the Final Four for the first time since 2008. 

While the LSU-Miami game lacked offense, the final game of the night had more than enough to make up for it. No. 2 seed Iowa and No. 5 seed Louisville put on a show in Seattle, and the typically showstopping Caitlin Clark was the headliner. Clark was masterful, registering the first triple-double in NCAA Tournament history (41 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds) to lead Iowa to a 97-83 victory. The Hawkeyes will now move on to their first Final Four since 1993. 

With the first two Final Four spots secured, the Elite Eight will conclude Monday with No. 1 seed South Carolina taking on No. 2 seed Maryland and No. 1 seed Virginia Tech playing No. 3 seed Ohio State. 

2023 Women's NCAA Tournament Elite Eight scores

(3) LSU 54, (9) Miami 42 Greenville 2

(2) Iowa 97, (5) Louisville 83 Seattle 4

[Mar 26, 2023 at 11:41 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Final: No. 2 Iowa 97, No. 5 Louisville 83

The Hawkeyes are heading to the Final Four for the first time since 1993. Caitlin Clark led the team with her fifth triple-double this season with 41 points,10 rebounds and 12 assists. It was a true team effort as McKenna Warnock and Gabbie Marshall added 17 and 14 points, respectively. As a whole, the Hawkeyes -- who have the top offense in the nation -- shot at 53.7% from the field while holding the Cardinals to 42.9%. Louisville was attempting a comeback in the fourth quarter, but even Hailey Van Lith and Olivia Cochran's combined 47 points were not enough to take down a hungry Iowa team.

[Mar 26, 2023 at 11:33 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Caitlin Clark makes history

Iowa star Caitlin Clark made history with the first 40-point triple-double ever in an NCAA Tournament game -- men's or women's. This is her fifth triple-double of the season and 11th of her career. 

Clark registered 41 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists in today's Elite Eight win against Louisville.

[Mar 26, 2023 at 11:23 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Cardinals not done fighting 

Iowa has not scored a field goal in seven minutes as Louisville cuts the deficit to 10 points (78-88) with under two minutes remaining.

[Mar 26, 2023 at 11:20 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Iowa senior forward Monika Czinano fouls out with three minutes remaining in the game. She registered nine points and five rebounds tonight.

[Mar 26, 2023 at 11:07 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Iowa reached its largest lead of the game, 22 points (83-61), early in the fourth quarter with a layup by Gabbie Marshall, assisted by Caitlin Clark. 

[Mar 26, 2023 at 11:01 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

End of Q3: No. 2 Iowa 78, No. 5 Louisville 59

The Hawkeyes went on an 11-0 run late in the third quarter to separate themselves from the Cardinals. Caitlin Clark already reached a double-double of 33 points and 10 assists. She needs two more rebounds for her 11th career triple-double. Five of her triple-doubles have been with 25+ points, the most in Division I history. 

[Mar 26, 2023 at 10:48 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Iowa junior guard Caitlin Clark has six 3-pointers so far. The record in a single NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament game is nine.

[Mar 26, 2023 at 10:34 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Louisville made it a one-point game early after the break, but Iowa took off on an 8-0 run to lead 56-47 with 8:04 still remaining in the third quarter. That run took just 65 seconds. McKenna Warnock was a big part of that effort. She has 15 points for the Hawkeyes so far. 

[Mar 26, 2023 at 10:21 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Halftime: No. 2 Iowa 48, No. 5 Louisville 43

The Hawkeyes shook off an 0-8 deficit early in the game and haven't lost momentum since then. Caitlin Clark has been the key for Iowa, as she leads the team with 22 points and eight assists. She scored or assisted in 88% of her team's points in the first half. McKenna Warnock is also contributing with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting. She and Clark have a combined eight of Iowa's nine 3-pointers so far. 

Louisville is down at the half, but the Cardinals are staying in the game behind some solid runs and 17 points by star player Hailey Van Lith. Both teams are shooting better than 53% from the field in a game filled with offensive talent.

[Mar 26, 2023 at 10:01 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Iowa finds 12-point lead

Louisville had an 8-0 lead at the bringing of the game, but Iowa has taken over behind 21 points and seven assists by Caitlin Clark. The Hawkeyes lead 41-29 with less than five minutes remaining in the second quarter. 

[Mar 26, 2023 at 9:48 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

End of Q1: No. 2 Iowa 25, No. 5 Louisville 21

The Cardinals were hot early, but Caitlin Clark has taken over and registered 15 of Iowa's 25 points in the first period. That is the most points she has ever scored in the first quarter during her college career. Clark is 5-of-8 from the field, including three buckets from beyond the arc. When she is not scoring, she is helping her teammates as she also has four assists. 

[Mar 26, 2023 at 9:36 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Iowa responds, Caitlin Clark taking over

Clark -- the first player in Division I history with 900 points and 300 assists in a single season --  opened the scoring for Iowa as the clock read 7:18. She went on to score the first seven points for the Hawkeyes in less than a minute. 

It's a one-point game with Louisville leading 13-12, 4:03 still left in the first quarter. 

[Mar 26, 2023 at 9:28 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Cardinals taking over early

No. 5 seed Louisville opened its Elite Eight game against No. 2 seed Iowa with an 8-0 run. Hailey Van Lith has six of those points going 3-of-5 from the field as the clock reads 7:45 in the first period.

[Mar 26, 2023 at 9:22 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Final: No. 3 LSU 54, No. 9 Miami 42

The score represents how much both teams struggled offensively --- both shooting under 32% from the field and going a combined 1-of-27 from beyond the arc. However, the motto in March is survive and advance, and that's exactly what Kim Mulkey's team did. 

Miami made the Tigers uncomfortable early in the game, and even made sure Player of the Year candidate Angel Reese went 0-9 from the field in the first half. However, Reese made it work and finished the day with 13 points and 18 rebounds, which is her 32nd double-double of the season -- a new SEC record. She was a solid contributor, per usual, but today's top LSU scorer was senior guard Alexis Morris with 21 points. The Tigers now have 31 wins, the most for the program since the 2007-2008 season. LSU will now participate in its first Final Four since 2008. 

[Mar 26, 2023 at 9:07 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Senior forward Destiny Harden leaves the court with her mouth bleeding with under three minutes remaining in the game. She led her team with seven rebounds and three steals.

[Mar 26, 2023 at 9:04 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Miami sophomore guard Lashae Dwyeris leaves to the locker room with what looks like a left leg injury, 4:02 remaining in the game. She went 2-of-2 from the field today and was a big part of the Hurricanes' defense.

[Mar 26, 2023 at 9:00 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

No. 2 seed Iowa is taking on No. 5 seed Louisville in the last Elite Eight game of the day. Hailey Van Lith and Cardinals are chasing their second consecutive Final Four. Meanwhile, Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes are looking for their first Final Four appearance since 1993.

[Mar 26, 2023 at 8:52 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

First 3-pointer of the game for either team comes with seven minutes remaining in the game via LSU's Kateri Poole. Both squads are a combined 1-of-22 from beyond the arc.

[Mar 26, 2023 at 8:50 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

LSU head coach Kim Mulkey is not happy with her team's offensive performance after three quarters. She spoke honestly in the broadcast:

"Make free throws and layups. If I was watching this game, I would turn it off. Look at that score. That's some bad offensive basketball. There might be something to those balls being too bouncy. Play hard for 10 minutes and see what happens." 

[Mar 26, 2023 at 8:46 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

End of Q3: No. 3 LSU 38, No. 9 Miami 27

LSU has one of the top five offenses in the nation, but tonight is a low scoring game. Nevertheless, the Tigers are feeling more comfortable as they see their largest lead of the night so far. Alexis Morris leads their offense with 14 points. Angel Reese follows with 11 points — seven of which happen via free throws. Reese struggled with scoring early in the game, but she has a double-double with 13 points. Jasmyne Roberts is leading Miami with 18 points, but she has to be careful as she enters the fourth quarter with three personal fouls.

[Mar 26, 2023 at 8:39 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Miami's Lola Pendande, who briefly left the court early in the third period holding her stomach, is back on the court and registered her first basket of the night with 3:36 left in the third quarter. 

[Mar 26, 2023 at 8:36 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

The Hurricanes find themselves with a 25-36 deficit after going 1-of-9 from the field in the last few minutes. There is still 2:32 remaining in the third quarter. Both teams are shooting below 31% from the field.

[Mar 26, 2023 at 8:24 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

LSU head coach Kim Mulkey is known for her eye-catching outfits. Today, LSU mascot Mike the Tiger was inspired by her and is wearing a sparkly butterfly jacket -- one Mulkey's iconic looks.

[Mar 26, 2023 at 8:19 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Miami's Lola Pendande — who was solid defending LSU star Angel Reese the first half — leaves the court early in the second half after taking a blow to the stomach.

[Mar 26, 2023 at 8:12 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Jasyme Roberts stepping up for Miami

Roberts has averaged 8.9 points per game this season, but she's peaking at the right time. The sophomore guard registered a career-high 26 points in the Sweet 16 against Villanova while shooting 62.5% from the field. 

Today she has 16 of Miami's 20 points at halftime against LSU.

[Mar 26, 2023 at 8:07 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

Halftime: No. 3 LSU 26, No. 9 Miami 20

Miami is doing a solid job making the Tigers uncomfortable, in particular their star player Angel Reese. The sophomore forward is 0-9 from the field after the first two periods, although she is contributing in other ways. Reese managed to pick up seven points from the free throw line along with eight rebounds and two assists. The LSU offense -- which as a whole is shooting at 30% from the field -- has been carried by senior guard Alexis Morris' 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting. The Hurricanes are just shooting slightly better at 35.7%. Miami sophomore guard Jasmyne Roberts is leading all scorers with 16 points by making eight of her 10 field goal attempts.

[Mar 26, 2023 at 7:55 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

LSU gaining momentum

Miami has made it tough for LSU, but the Tigers have found a 24-18 lead after a 6-0 run with 1:55 remaining in the second quarter. Senior guard Alexis Morris is the first LSU player to reach double digits with 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field. 

As a whole, LSU is only shooting at 28.6% from he field, while Miami shoots at 34.6%.

[Mar 26, 2023 at 7:37 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

End of Q1: No. 3 LSU 10, No. 9 Miami 8

LSU ended the first quarter in a 6-0 run, but this was a challenging period. The Tigers have the fifth best scoring offense in the nation, averaging 82.7 points per game. However, Miami held them to just 3-of-14 from the field in the first 10 minutes. Their leading scorer this season, Angel Reese, is 0-6 from the field with her three points coming from the charity line. LSU's Angel Morris and Miami's Jasmine Roberts lead all scorers with six points each.

[Mar 26, 2023 at 6:43 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

The Miami Hurricanes are also seeing a lot of support from celebrities. Rapper Lil Wayne -- who interestingly enough was born in Louisiana -- is a fan of the team. 

[Mar 26, 2023 at 6:40 pm ET · Isabel Gonzalez]

The LSU Tigers received Grinch Kobe 6s from Vanessa Bryant. They have a lot of people showing their support, including rapper 2 Chainz -- who gave them a call ahead of their game against Miami.