LSU is the National WBB Champ -- Softball cancelled because of weather in Syracuse -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

LSU downs Iowa 102-85 in Championship game

The LSU Tigers are the NCAA DI women's basketball national champs. 

A team that wasn't even considered the best in their own conference (SEC) and came into the tournament as a #3 seed in the Indiana regional (Greenville 2) has grabbed the crown with an incredible offensive explosion from three-point range, including Jasmine Bennett's five for five marksmanship. The Tigers were 11 for 14 from the deep and Iowa shot even better "make-wise'  hitting 14 of their three-point attempts. 

This was no defensive struggle Sunday afternoon and very few predicted there would be. . 

LSU put five players in double figures, with the NCAA M.O.P. Angel Reese netting 15, LaDazhia Williams 20, Alexis Morris totaled 21 points and Bennett led the squad with 22. It was the most points ever scored by a winning squad in the history of the tournament, LSU's first-ever national title and Kim Mulkey's fourth as a DI coach. 

It was also a game that was not even adequately officiated and supposedly had the best DI WBB crew out on the court. Mulkey grabbed at an official and swung wildly in the air at her and no foul was rendered, but Caitlin Clark rolled a basketball back in the direction to where it would have been in-bounded and was "t'd" up. Angel Reese mocked Clark and the Iowa bench by indicating she was going to put on a championship ring and no foul was called, but the refs had Iowa's best players saddled with four fouls when no one on LSU's squad had more than three. 

LINK: 

Mulkey "no tech" and Clark "tech" side-by-side

Ye who scores the most points wins, though and that was LSU. That 17 point halftime lead just proved to be too much for Iowa to overcome.

Honestly, it was a game I didn't have a "dog" in and hoped it might just be a fun, offensive-oriented battle and I got my wish. 

The good news for Iowa is that they get Clark for another season. The bad news is that they're still in the Big 10 and will to battle each night in conference play while losing four key players who played together for three years. 

It might well be remembered as the game where the officiating stank. The NCAA could care less about that, though...ratings for college women's basketball and viewers climb each year and that means more money in the NCAA checking account. 

Bluder "not-commenting" on officiating: 

Bluder postgame

I guess I'll remember Clark's big run for several games and the way Iowa put away the Cards when I think back about this particular NCAA Tournament. Also, how no #1 seed made it to the final game. The ACC had three of the Elite Eight teams and only Virginia Tech made it to the Final Four. 

I do hope this two regional sites instead of four is an idea that gets dropped. Louisville in Seattle was just ridiculous, except that it was near to Hailey Van Lith's home, but how many other Cardinals' fans made that trip up there?Starting the tournament in Ausin instead of the KFC YUM! Center was tough enough for the Cards' fan base.

Another season ended. I hope the time between now and the Cards first WBB game or exhibition this fall goes quickly, and. I'm glad we're a website that covers ALL the UofL women's sports. 

Stay with us for the news, won't you? 

SOFTBALL VS SYRACUSE CANCELLED

The ground temperature never got above 30 degrees in Syracuse Sunday, so the scheduled game between the Cards and the Orange was cancelled. I've never played on an infield that was below 30 degrees, so I can't tell you what differences it makes on ground balls and traction and such -- but it obviously does something. 

paulie