'Mind-boggling' play elevates Caitlin Clark above the rest
A "mind-boggling" display rocked college basketball on Sunday.
In an Elite Eight game against Louisville, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark became the first player ever – male or female – to record a 40-point triple-double during the NCAA Tournament. Clark, who also had 10 rebounds and 12 assists, led Hawkeyes to a 97-83 win and their first trip to a Final Four since 1993.
"A 40-point triple-double against Louisville to go to the Final Four -- are you kidding?" head coach Lisa Bluder said, according to ESPN. "I mean, it's mind-boggling."
Iowa, seeking its first NCAA women's basketball title, will play Monday's South Carolina-Maryland winner in the Final Four.
Sunday night belonged to Clark, the front-runner for the National Player of the Year. She powered the top-ranked Hawkeye offense by scoring or assisting on 72% of Iowa's points.
Clark has the rare ability to score and pass equally well, improve the team around her and work the crowd.
What many missed in Clark’s final stat line is how she saved the Hawkeyes early in the game. Louisville jumped to an 8-0 lead. Then the Iowa star stepped in.
Clark scored or assisted on the Hawkeyes' first 30 points, including all the points in the first quarter. After halftime, Iowa dominated, stretching its lead to 20 points.
Clark, meanwhile, worked the crowd and taunted her opponents.
“That’s when I play my best basketball, when I’m having the most fun of anyone on the court,” Clark said, according to USA Today. “I play this game because I love it and because it brings joy to other people. I don’t play to hoist a trophy.”
But that's exactly what Iowa will do if Clark comes close to replicating Sunday's performance.
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