Caitlin Clark destroyed Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith in cold blooded Elite Eight revenge performance
The most highly anticipated basketball game in 2024 exceeded expectations. When Caitlin Clark‘s Iowa Hawkeyes took on Angel Reese‘s LSU in April last year in a rematch of the 2023 NCAA women’s championship game, the entire country was glued to its TV screens. Angel Reese famously beat Caitlin Clark in the women’s final in 2023Getty In April 2023, LSU crushed Iowa by a record score of 102-85 to win its first NCAA championship. The 102 points broke the previous high for a championship game, surpassing the 97 that Texas scored against Southern California in 1986. The game sparked jubilant scenes for Reese, who unforgettably made a gesture towards Clark. The forward celebrated the Tigers’ fourth-quarter lead by waving one hand in front of her face and making a ‘you can’t see me’ gesture, tapping her ring finger while looking pointedly at Clark. The moment, which birthed their intense WNBA rivalry, went viral and sent social media into a frenzy. Some enjoyed Reese’s gesture while some criticised her for being unsportsmanlike and ‘classless’. Ultimately, for Clark, whatever Reese did, she was always going to be left with a sour taste in her mouth. The guard enjoyed a remarkable individual run up to and including the championship game, yet wasn’t able to take a title home. In that final, Clark finished with 30 points, one game after she scored 40 in the semi-finals to knock out unbeaten South Carolina. The game before that she had the first 40-point triple-double in NCAA history in the Elite Eight. Clark ended the tournament with 191 points, the most ever in an NCAA tournament and yet it still wasn’t enough to overcome LSU and capture a national title. Caitlin Clark went on to get her revenge in 2024Getty Clark and Reese are now both WNBA starsGetty However, Clark wouldn’t have to wait long to exact revenge on the Tigers, as in 2024, the two sides met in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. Somehow, Clark performed even better than she did in 2023’s championship game. She put up 41 points and 12 assists in a sensational performance to knock LSU out with a 94-87 victory and advance to the Final Four. In particular, Clark made a meal of Hailey Van Lith, who was guarding her. The site of Van Lith haplessly trying to contain Clark and shrugging her shoulders as the now WNBA star backpedaled down the court after making a signature 3 was difficult to watch. Van Lith, once deemed a shoo-in for the WNBA Draft, saw her draft stock tank in the wake of that defeat. Soon after, she announced her decision to forgo the pros and play her last year of college eligibility at TCU, where she has since been reborn. March Madness Top Stories Ranking the greatest players in NCAA men’s March Madness history – from Michael Jordan to Magic Johnson ‘This sister is special’ – Stephen A. Smith identifies rising star who can challenge Caitlin Clark’s WNBA dominance March Madness legends who are still balling in NBA today – from Steph Curry to Ja Morant NCAA March Madness is bigger and better than the College Football Playoff – the springtime phenomenon is bigger than ever Biggest March Madness upsets in history of NCAA Tournament – top seeds humiliated as small schools enjoy their moment The game was tied at 45-45 at the half before Clark took over in the third quarter. The NCAA Division I all-time scoring leader ended the game with nine three-pointers, tying the record for the most made in an NCAA tournament game. Viewership for that fateful rematch averaged 12.3 million viewers and peaked at 16 million viewers. That shattered the previous all-time mark set last year for LSU’s win over Iowa in last year’s championship, a game that averaged a record 9.9 million viewers and peaked at 12.6 million viewers. “This one probably feels a little bit better. It’s my senior year, with this group,” Clark said at the time of her win. “A lot of people counted us out at the beginning of the year with the people we lost. And all we did was work really hard. “To get back here is really hard. This regional was loaded with so much talent. The job’s not finished.” Angel Reese cried after that defeat and Van Lith soon left for TCUGetty Van Lith and Reese were sent home as a result of their loss, and it left the pair devastated, with both in tears when the game ended. While Clark never went on to lift the championship (Iowa would lose to South Carolina in the championship game), she secured her legacy of being one of the greatest college basketball players ever. That match would be Clark and Reese’s final matchup in college as they both declared for the WNBA draft. Clark was selected as the No.1 pick by the Indiana Fever while Reese went to the Chicago Sky as the seventh pick. They have since revolutionzed women’s basketball and become powerhouse names in the world of sport and beyond. How to
The most highly anticipated basketball game in 2024 exceeded expectations.
When Caitlin Clark‘s Iowa Hawkeyes took on Angel Reese‘s LSU in April last year in a rematch of the 2023 NCAA women’s championship game, the entire country was glued to its TV screens.
In April 2023, LSU crushed Iowa by a record score of 102-85 to win its first NCAA championship.
The 102 points broke the previous high for a championship game, surpassing the 97 that Texas scored against Southern California in 1986.
The game sparked jubilant scenes for Reese, who unforgettably made a gesture towards Clark.
The forward celebrated the Tigers’ fourth-quarter lead by waving one hand in front of her face and making a ‘you can’t see me’ gesture, tapping her ring finger while looking pointedly at Clark.
The moment, which birthed their intense WNBA rivalry, went viral and sent social media into a frenzy. Some enjoyed Reese’s gesture while some criticised her for being unsportsmanlike and ‘classless’.
Ultimately, for Clark, whatever Reese did, she was always going to be left with a sour taste in her mouth.
The guard enjoyed a remarkable individual run up to and including the championship game, yet wasn’t able to take a title home.
In that final, Clark finished with 30 points, one game after she scored 40 in the semi-finals to knock out unbeaten South Carolina.
The game before that she had the first 40-point triple-double in NCAA history in the Elite Eight.
Clark ended the tournament with 191 points, the most ever in an NCAA tournament and yet it still wasn’t enough to overcome LSU and capture a national title.
However, Clark wouldn’t have to wait long to exact revenge on the Tigers, as in 2024, the two sides met in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
Somehow, Clark performed even better than she did in 2023’s championship game.
She put up 41 points and 12 assists in a sensational performance to knock LSU out with a 94-87 victory and advance to the Final Four.
In particular, Clark made a meal of Hailey Van Lith, who was guarding her.
The site of Van Lith haplessly trying to contain Clark and shrugging her shoulders as the now WNBA star backpedaled down the court after making a signature 3 was difficult to watch.
Van Lith, once deemed a shoo-in for the WNBA Draft, saw her draft stock tank in the wake of that defeat.
Soon after, she announced her decision to forgo the pros and play her last year of college eligibility at TCU, where she has since been reborn.
March Madness Top Stories
Ranking the greatest players in NCAA men’s March Madness history – from Michael Jordan to Magic Johnson
‘This sister is special’ – Stephen A. Smith identifies rising star who can challenge Caitlin Clark’s WNBA dominance
March Madness legends who are still balling in NBA today – from Steph Curry to Ja Morant
NCAA March Madness is bigger and better than the College Football Playoff – the springtime phenomenon is bigger than ever
Biggest March Madness upsets in history of NCAA Tournament – top seeds humiliated as small schools enjoy their moment
The game was tied at 45-45 at the half before Clark took over in the third quarter.
The NCAA Division I all-time scoring leader ended the game with nine three-pointers, tying the record for the most made in an NCAA tournament game.
Viewership for that fateful rematch averaged 12.3 million viewers and peaked at 16 million viewers.
That shattered the previous all-time mark set last year for LSU’s win over Iowa in last year’s championship, a game that averaged a record 9.9 million viewers and peaked at 12.6 million viewers.
“This one probably feels a little bit better. It’s my senior year, with this group,” Clark said at the time of her win.
“A lot of people counted us out at the beginning of the year with the people we lost. And all we did was work really hard.
“To get back here is really hard. This regional was loaded with so much talent. The job’s not finished.”
Van Lith and Reese were sent home as a result of their loss, and it left the pair devastated, with both in tears when the game ended.
While Clark never went on to lift the championship (Iowa would lose to South Carolina in the championship game), she secured her legacy of being one of the greatest college basketball players ever.
That match would be Clark and Reese’s final matchup in college as they both declared for the WNBA draft.
Clark was selected as the No.1 pick by the Indiana Fever while Reese went to the Chicago Sky as the seventh pick.
They have since revolutionzed women’s basketball and become powerhouse names in the world of sport and beyond.
How to watch March Madness in the UK
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March Madness is one of the most exciting times of the year for basketball fans, with a total of 68 teams battling it out to become the Division 1 college champions.
This year UConn have the chance to become only the second team ever to complete a March Madness three-peat, having emerged victorious for the last two years.
talkSPORT will have the latest news on the tournament, but for UK basketball fans the way to watch is through Sky Sports. The broadcaster will be showing EVERY March Madness game through their Sky Sports + streaming service.
Click here to sign up to a Sky Sports subscription, or read our article on the best Sky Sports deals available now.
