Why Caitlin Clark's technical foul was boiling point of officiating woes in Iowa-LSU women's national championship game

Kevin Skiver

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Why Caitlin Clark's technical foul was boiling point of officiating woes in Iowa-LSU women's national championship game image

It's never good when officials take over a game. It's even worse when they take over a national championship. So it was in Iowa vs. LSU on Sunday, where officiating was such a constant presence it had "LET THEM PLAY" becoming a commonly-tweeted phrase.

Things started out bad for LSU in the first half, with multiple starters -- including Angel Reese -- falling into early foul trouble.

The Tigers were able to weather that storm, but Iowa ran into problems with the officials in the second half, when superstar Caitlin Clark was assessed a technical after Monika Czinano drew her fourth foul for... Nothing at all.

Clark tossed the ball behind her and got the technical shortly after, exacerbating what was already a questionably-officiated game.

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

Making matters worse, technical fouls count as fouls, meaning Clark earned her fourth foul of the game in the process.

To be clear, there is a violation in the book for what Clark did here: A delay of game, which gets a warning the first time around and a technical the second.

MORE: Iowa vs. LSU for the women's national championship

In a somewhat confusing twist, the pool report actually cited delay of game as the violation Clark was called for. "Iowa received a delay of game warning in the third period at the 7:28 mark for batting the ball away after a made basket, causing a delay," the report said. "The second offense was when No. 22 from Iowa picked up the ball and failed to immediately pass the ball to the official after the whistle was blown."

The game log does not indicate a warning was assessed at the 7:28 mark.

Some viewers were also confused about giving Clark a technical for that when LSU's Kim Mulkey was doing on the sideline for a lot of the game:

Though the free throw disparity was kept relatively close throughout the game, the reality is the game's best players were held back by foul trouble throughout. Czinaro fouled out, McKennna Warnock had four fouls, and Clark had four, plus Reese and Ladazhia Williams for LSU.

It is arguably dramatic to say officials determined the outcome of the game -- LSU's depth and talent on display in this game cannot be overstated. But their presence was felt throughout. When it comes to a showdown of the two remaining teams in the tournament, that is clearly not what the NCAA wants to see in its championship.

Kevin Skiver

Kevin Skiver Photo

Kevin Skiver has been a content producer at Sporting News since 2021. He previously worked at CBS Sports as a trending topics writer, and now writes various pieces on MLB, the NFL, the NBA, and college sports. He enjoys hiking and eating, not necessarily in that order.