Caitlin Clark was, once again, the best player on the court Monday night.
The NCAA’s all-time leading scorer dropped 41 points to send No. 1 Iowa to the Final Four after the Hawkeyes beat No. 3 LSU 94-87.
Clark was a first-team All-American for the third year in a row while setting numerous records before she heads to the WNBA later this year.
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Former Boston Celtics player Paul Pierce carries the game ball before a game against the Toronto Raptors at the TD Garden in Boston Oct. 22, 2021. (Brian Fluharty/USA Today Sports)
It was her fifth 40-point game of the season and the third time she hit nine three-pointers. However, one basketball Hall of Famer was surprised that the normally-dominant Clark put up such a performance.
Paul Pierce insinuated that because Clark was playing against a Tigers team comprised of mostly Black players, she wouldn’t be able to handle the competition.
“We saw a White girl in Iowa do it to a bunch of Black girls. That gained my respect,” Pierce said on FS1’s “Undisputed.” “She didn’t do this to some other little White girls that was over here in Colorado or whatever. She did this to some girls from LSU, who we thought were dogs, defending champs.
“[She] put them on her knee and spanked them. I didn’t expect that.”
Caitlin Clark of the Iowa Hawkeyes cuts down the net after beating the LSU Tigers 94-87 in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament at MVP Arena April 1, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
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Clark was 13-for-29 from the field, draining 9-of-20 shots from beyond the arc. LSU guard Hailey Van Lith contested those shots, especially the deep 3-pointers Clark is known to dazzle with, but all she could do was shrug when she watched them go in.
With the game tied at 45 at the half, Iowa went on an 8-0 run to start the third quarter as LSU struggled to knock down shots. By the end of it, Clark had drained four of her nine threes in the quarter, and Iowa owned a 11-point lead, 69-58, entering the fourth. The Tigers shot 5 of 26 in the third quarter as a team, and the Hawkeyes never looked back despite LSU’s valiant efforts for a comeback.
Caitlin Clark (22) of the Iowa Hawkeyes and her teammates celebrate after beating the LSU Tigers 94-87 in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament at MVP Arena on April 1, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
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Iowa will face No. 3 UConn in the Final Four. UConn is fresh off Paige Bueckers’ 28 points, 10 rebounds and six assists against USC’s freshman phenom JuJu Watkins.
Fox News’ Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
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