Kim Mulkey is at it again! First, she shocked the women's college basketball world in 2021 when she took on the head coach position at LSU (Louisiana State University). Everyone knew then that it would only be a matter of time before the Tigers would become the NCAA National Champions.
With Mulkey just two years into the job, it seemed unlikely for the Tigers to bring home the bacon this year. However, the Tigers defied all odds, including being the underdog and being counted out at every turn. All the more unlikely that they would be able to do it against No. 2-ranked Iowa, who is led by McDonald's All-American Caitlin Clark.
With Mulkey hooting, hollering, and stomping her feet on the sidelines, the Tigers found an unlikely hero in Jasmine Carson, who led the team past Iowa and Clark, 102-85, to win the program's first NCAA women's basketball national championship in Dallas, Texas.
Jasmine Carson, the unlikely hero of the game
Carson posted a season-high 22 points, marked by 7 of 8 shooting from the arc, erasing the memory of the 13 points she scored in the tournament leading up to the championship game.
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The star of the championship described the game as surreal, "Every player dreams of being on a big stage like this and having the game of your life, and for it to come to fruition - it meant a lot."
As for Mulkey, she became the first women's college basketball coach to lead two different teams to national championships.
Before this highly dramatic victory, LSU had six attempts in the Final Four, and when Mulkey took on the job, she had told everyone to turn around and look at the semifinal banners, quipping, "Nowhere on there, did it say national champions, and that's what I came home to do."
Mulkey added, "It's emotional, and I am so happy. I really don't know how to explain it just a deep gratitude and happiness," per the NCAA.
LSU posted records en route to the NCAA title
LSU pulled away in the second quarter, sinking nine of their 11 treys for a 59-42 score going into the break, outscoring Iowa 32-20 in the second canto, the most any team has scored in a women's Final Four half since Georgia scored 57 in 1985.
The LSU Tigers are the third No. 3 seed squad to grab the title and the first since 1997.
LSU's 102 points is also a record — being the most scored by a team in a women's championship game.
Not surprisingly, Clark scored a game-high 30 points, posting a new record for points scored in a single NCAA tournament, but it was not enough for Iowa to bring home the title.
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