Iowa vs. LSU final score, results: Tigers set championship record en route to first national title

Sara Tidwell

Iowa vs. LSU final score, results: Tigers set championship record en route to first national title image

The LSU Tigers have been crowned the 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball National Champions for the first time in school history, taking down a Caitlin Clark-led Iowa Hawkeyes squad 102-85 in Dallas on Sunday.

The turnaround for the program under Kim Mulkey has been nothing short of legendary -- they've gone from a nine-win team to hanging a national title banner in just two years.

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LSU had five different players score in double figures; LaDazhia Williams had 20 points, Flau'jae Johnson had 10, Angel Reese had 15 plus 10 rebounds for her 34th double-double, Alexis Morris had 21 and Jasmine Carson had 22, going almost 100% across the board.

The Hawkeyes fell short after Caitlin Clark, Monika Czinano and McKenna Warnock all picked up early calls and were in foul trouble in halfway through the third quarter. Clark broke Sheryl Swoopes' record for most points scored in a single-tournament (177+), coming away with 30 on the evening and eight assists.

Iowa had three others score in double figures; Czinano had 13 points and six rebounds before she fouled out, Gabbie Marshall had 12 points and Kate Martin had 13 points and six assists.

The Sporting News tracked live scoring updates and highlights for Iowa vs. LSU in the NCAA Women's Tournament. Follow for complete results from the Women's March Madness national championship game.

MORE: Watch 2023 NCAA women's basketball championship live with Sling TV

Iowa vs. LSU score

  1 2 3 4 F
LSU 27 32 16 27 102
Iowa 22 20 22 21 85

Iowa vs. LSU live updates, highlights from 2023 NCAA women's basketball championship

(All times Eastern)

Final: LSU 102, Iowa 85

5:52 p.m.: LSU collects their first NCAA title in program history with a 102-85 win. Mulkey says to Clark in the handshake line that she's a generational player. Mulkey momentarily speechless about what it means to bring a trophy like this to her home state of Louisiana, knowing her team has reset the standard for the Tigers in just two years.

5:50 p.m.: Clark has wowed the nation this tournament season, playing in a way no one has seen since Swoopes did in 1993. Despite losing the ring, she has another year to redeem her team.

MORE: When is Caitlin Clark eligible for the WNBA Draft?

5:48 p.m.: LSU has broken another record with most-points scored in a championship game at 98. Mulkey is in tears of joy on the sidelines while Reese mocks Clark's taunts and points to her ring finger.

5:46 p.m.: Terribly decided turnover by Clark with a minute-thirty left on the clock. LSU is standing strong, up by 13.

5:40 p.m.: LSU fans who couldn't make it to Dallas have been celebrating at a watch party from their campus arena in Baton Rouge.

5:39 p.m.: American Airlines Center is sold out, according to the women's Final Four Twitter.

5:36 p.m.: Czinano fouls out, ending her career on the biggest stage of the basketball world. She had 13 points, six rebounds and three assists.

5:30 p.m.: Reese has set a Division I record with most double-doubles in a single season. The championship game is recorded as her 34th. She currently has 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Clark also set another record, this time for most three-pointers made in a women's national championship game. She's 7-for-15 from downtown.

Third qurter: LSU 75, Iowa 64

5:21 p.m.: Iowa trailing by 11 as we head into the final 10. Will anyone be left to keep Iowa afloat in the fourth quarter? Or are they bound to sink with their three stars — Warnock, Czinano and Clark — on the bench in foul trouble...

5:18 p.m.: Clark's fourth foul doubled as a technical because of the way she reacted — lightly tossing the ball out of the way.

5:17 p.m.: Clark has passed the legendary Sheryl Swoopes for most points scored in a single women's NCAA Tournament. Swoopes record was 177, Clark has 25 on the afternoon as she and Czinano pick up their fourth fouls. What a crippling possession.

5:15 p.m.: LSU gets a timeout revoked after official review deems Mulkey incorrect, bringing them down to two with 12 minutes still to go.

5:03 p.m.: Warnock picks up her fourth foul, Clark and Czinano with three. It's a tough break to have right now. Marshall cuts the lead with a massive three-pointer, and Clark adds one for good measure. 15-2 run for the Hawkeyes in a three minute span, cuts the Tigers' lead to eight.

5:02 p.m.: Iowa has to start chewing at this game in smaller bites, or else they'll never break the deficit that had them down 20 points at the start of the third quarter.

Half: LSU 59, Iowa 42

4:35 p.m.: LSU wraps the first half with the most points ever made in 20 minutes during a women's final four.

Carson drills a buzzer beater to remain perfect across the board. The graduate transfer is a wizard this afternoon.

4:33 p.m.: Carson has. not. missed. She's 100% from the field, beyond the arc and the charity stripe, leading the Tigers with 18 points.

4:31 p.m.: LSU is +24 in bench points. Iowa only has two.

4:30 p.m.: Clark gets her third foul call, frustrated with the physicality of the Tigers. How will Iowa navigate without her, now that she's on the bench?

4:28 p.m.: Jasmine Carson is 100% from beyond the arc, sinking back-to-back threes to give LSU a 12 point lead.

4:19 p.m.: Clark has assisted on 64% of Iowa's points in this tournament run. She picks up her second foul now too, but stays on the floor. LSU is on an 8-0 run for their largest lead of the game.

First quarter: LSU 27, Iowa 22

4:06 p.m.: Reese and Poole have now been hit with their second fouls, headed to the bench. Not a great start for either squad, things are aggressive.

4:05 p.m.: The first quarter hasn't even ended yet and Warnock and Czinano are on the bench with two fouls a piece.

MORE: Watch "The Bird & Taurasi Show" on ESPN2 during the game

3:59 p.m.: Clark has officially broken the single-tournament record for most three-pointer made. It was originally broken by Virginia Tech's Georgia Amoore on Friday, and Clark had tied it in the game after that same night. Ruocco calls her almost fictional with these baskets, 4-for-5 from downtown right now.

MORE: Caitlin Clark ties Women's NCAA Tournament 3-point record

3:51 p.m.: Clark is known for her trash talk and celebrations. The fact that she pumped her fist in victory before her shot even hit the net is another level.

MORE: Iowa's Caitlin Clark taunts South Carolina in Final Four, waves off player at 3-point line

3:45 p.m.: LSU wins the tipoff and Iowa immediately forces a turnover to go up by two. Iowa then scores on two more possessions by back-to-back steals courtesy of Martin and Czinano.

Pregame

3:36 p.m.: Ashland University and Transylvania University, the respective Division II and III women's basketball championship winners are holding the flag for the national anthem.

3:31 p.m.: The starting lineups have been released. There is history to make and a title to take in Dallas this afternoon. The two remaining titans are about to dance.

For the Hawkeyes:

  1. Kate Martin
  2. Caitlin Clark
  3. Gabbie Marshall
  4. McKenna Warnock
  5. Monika Czinano

For the Tigers:

  1. Flau'jae Johnson
  2. Alexis Morris
  3. Kateri Poole
  4. LaDazhia Williams
  5. Angel Reese

3:21 p.m.: The LSU Tiger is dressed like Kim Mulkey's Sweet 16 outfit. Mulkey says on TV, "If my clothes attract someone to buy tickets to a game, I'm all for it."

MORE: Social media reacts to LSU coach Kim Mulkey's outfit for Sweet 16 game

3:12 p.m.: Half an hour to tipoff. Are you ready?! They sure are.

3:09 p.m.: Both teams are seeing tremendous turnout from both of their fanbases. According to TicketSmarter, they have 316 tickets left. They're showing four on their website, ranging from a low of $760 to a high of $1,326.

3:06 p.m.: LSU and Iowa each have three women averaging double digit points per game:

School Player PPG
LSU Angel Reese 23.3
  Alexis Morris 15.2
  Flau'jae Johnson 11.0
Iowa Caitlin Clark 27.7
  Monika Czinano 17.2
  McKenna Warnock 10.9

3:01 p.m.: Some pregame season comparing stats for Iowa and LSU:

Stat LSU Iowa
Points 81.7 87.3
FG% 0.461 0.511
3F% 0.337 0.377
FT% 0.695 0.768
Total rebounds 46.3 38.6
Offensive rebounds 17.1 8.6
Blocks 5.1 2.5
Steals 9.6 7.5
Assists 14.7 20.9
Turnovers 13.7 14.3
Assist-to-turnover ratio 1.07 1.46

2:30 p.m.: The odds for this game are tight. Here's what BetMGM is predicting:

Bet Team Odds
Favorite Iowa -3.5
Underdogs LSU +3.5
Over/Under   156.5
Moneyline LSU +145
  Iowa -175

2:24 p.m.: Here's how the Final Four games played out for Iowa and LSU.

Caitlin Clark drops 41 for Iowa vs. South Carolina

LSU bests Virginia Tech with huge fourth-quarter run

2:22 p.m.: The Hawkeyes have also made their red carpet arrival at American Airlines Center.

2:17 p.m.: Both teams had gatherings where they personally hyped each other up, as well. LSU went with a traditional Sunday devotional, while Iowa sat in a circle at center court and reflected on their achievements.

2:16 p.m.: Iowa has shared several hype videos leading up to their big moment. They're making it known that they're here to win it.

2:11 p.m.: Monika Czinano and McKenna Warnock wrapped their last practice of their Hawkeye careers. It's not known whether the seniors will enroll in the WNBA Draft. Czinano is holding off her medical school enrollment to play basketball for as long as possible, knowing that the time is limited between her and the sport, she told the Daily Iowan.

2:10 p.m.: Caitlin Clark was named the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year for a second consecutive year.

2:09 p.m.: Nancy Lieberman stopped by the Iowa Hawkeyes locker room after mid-Saturday practice to give high-fives and words of wisdom.

2:07 p.m.: These are how the usual starting five Lady Tigers have been performing through the NCAA Tournament.

2:04 p.m.: The Lady Tigers have arrived to American Airlines Center in Dallas and were greeted with a red carpet to strut upon entry.

2:03 p.m.: Kim Mulkey rocking the signature tiger stripes for the national championship game with a shimmery pantsuit.

How to watch Iowa vs. LSU women's basketball championship

  • TV channel: ABC
  • Live stream: Sling TV, ESPN app

Iowa vs. LSU will be broadcast nationally on ABC. The game is also being live streamed through the ESPN App and Sling TV.

Iowa vs. LSU start time

  • Date: Sunday, April 2
  • Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

The national championship game between Iowa and LSU will tip off at 3:30 p.m. ET from American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Women's Final Four schedule 2023

National championship

Sunday, April 2

Matchup Time (ET) TV
(2) Iowa vs. (3) LSU 3:30 p.m. ABC

Sara Tidwell

Sara Tidwell Photo

Sara Tidwell is an editorial intern with The Sporting News. A native to Michigan's Thumb region, she received her Bachelor's degree in journalism from Michigan State University. Previous bylines include the Detroit News, Cincinnati Enquirer, Hartford Courant and The State News.