By Susan Harman

ALBANY, N.Y. – A poised, confident, hungry Iowa women’s basketball team sent defending NCAA champion LSU home to Baton Rouge, 94-87, Monday. This Iowa team had a resolute demeanor that was evident from the first possession.

“I think we were really, really confident,” Gabbie Marshall said. “I think no one had any doubt that we would win this game. I think the most important thing was for us to believe in ourselves and each other.”

Iowa coach Lisa Bluder brought a pair of scissors to the team’s morning shoot-around and had each player use them. They were asked to think about cutting down the nets.

“Like snip, snip, snip,” Addi O’Grady said. “I just think we were ready to go from the jump.”

 Iowa started fast and held a 17-9 lead early. It was just the beginning of an engrossing 40 minutes.

“I think we have the same mentality going into this game no matter who we were playing, and it had nothing to do about them,” Kate Martin said. “It was all about us, and we wanted to get back to the Final Four so bad and just keep playing with this group of girls.

“Yes, they did win the national championship last year, but that has nothing to do with our team this year. We’re so confident in each other, and we knew that we were capable of winning this game.”

Iowa (33-4) will play Connecticut (33-5) in the national semifinals in Cleveland next Friday.

Caitlin Clark gave an All-American performance and then some to lead the Hawkeyes back to the Final Four, the first time Iowa has done so in back-to-back seasons. Just when you think Clark can’t possibly keep doing miraculous basketball things she does it again.

Clark finished with 41 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds. She hit the first basket of the game, a 3-pointer, and finished with an NCAA tournament-record-tying nine threes. She made 9-of-20 3-point shots. She also broke the record for threes in a season, held by former Oklahoma guard Taylor Robertson. Clark has 546 in her career.

“You (reporters) think you have a good spot, but being on the court with her that’s the best spot in the house, so getting to watch that firsthand is pretty cool,” Martin said.

“Caitlin is very skilled,” LSU guard Hailey Van Lith said. “She’s a great player; she hit some tough shots. There’s not a whole lot you can do about some of the threes she hit. I think the team around her plays a role. They did a good job of executing their role. Ultimately they played better than us.”

But it was the look that Iowa had when it took the court and when LSU made a run to take a lead that was key. This was a team that believed in itself and was not the least bit intimidated by LSU’s heralded players nor it’s flamboyant coach. Iowa brushed aside LSU’s superior quickness and size.

Clark was everywhere, driving the lane and even scoring over the Tigers’ 6-foot-6 Aalyah Del Rosario at one point when Angel Reese was on the bench with foul issues. She made threes from all over the court and usually exactly when Iowa needed them.

Sydney Affolter drove aggressively to the basket, grabbed five rebounds and sank two 3-pointers for 16 points. Martin had 21 points and six rebounds. Hannah Stuelke and O’Grady combined for 13 points and nine rebounds. Stuelke was slowed by foul trouble, but O’Grady did well when she subbed in.

“We got to the hoop and I think we stayed really calm, and we were really resilient,” Martin said. “Nothing surprised me because I’ve seen this all year.”

The Tigers had four score in double figures, led by Flau’jae Johnson’s 23, and another player with nine points, but they shot only 38.6 percent for the game.

The All American Reese was slowed by an ankle injury that occurred in the second quarter when she rolled it on some camera equipment. She hurt the same ankle in the SEC tournament. She finished with 20 rebounds and 17 points, but had just four second-half points.

“I’m tough, so I tried to play through it of course,” Reese said. “And this is something that has been going on for awhile now. But I played through it, and I’m not going to make an excuse.”

The game was tied at 45 at halftime, but Iowa made a move in the third quarter. Clark hit a three to begin things, Martin had a couple free throws and scored on a fastbreak, and Clark finished the run with two long threes for a 58-49 lead.

“We started the game and we started the third quarter with a punch,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. “In the third quarter she came out with a different look in her eye. I could tell her all I wanted to at that time to get to the rim, and it wasn’t going to happen.”

Meanwhile LSU was missing shots and committed some turnovers. Iowa extended the lead to 65-52 on a Martin spinning drive down the lane.

“I think we came out here and our second and third quarters we played really good basketball,” Clark said. “LSU is a really good team; they’re hard to guard. They’re such good one-on-one players. They break you down. They make tough shots. They killed us on the glass.

“But we were just resilient.”

LSU shot 27.8 percent in the second quarter and 19.2 percent in the third.

“We ended the first quarter with the lead, but I think their pace dictated the third quarter,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said. “We shot the ball 20 more times than they did, so that’s the pace I’m talking about. Then you look at that second and especially the third quarter where we just missed shots.”

Associate head coach Jan Jensen said Iowa’s ball-screen offense, ball-screen defense and transition were the difference in the game.

“We wanted to run them because we thought that was an area we could do, and they did,” she said.  LSU played only seven players and one of those only played two minutes.

LSU got as close as six points, but Iowa was never seriously threatened after that, much to the delight of the heavily pro-Iowa crowd.

“Caitlin Clark is not going to beat you by herself,” Mulkey said. “It’s what she does to make those other teammates better that helps her score points and them score points to beat you.”

Mulkey and Clark spoke to each other briefly in the handshake line.

“I said, ‘I sure am glad you’re leaving,’” Mulkey said. “I said, ‘Girl, you something else. Never seen anything like it.’”