On Monday night, it wasn’t the NBA that was centerstage in the basketball world. Instead it was the Women’s 2024 NCAA Tournament that was capturing the attention of basketball fans with two excellent matchups with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
The game that was drawing the most attention was a rematch of the 2023 Women’s NCAA Championship between LSU and Iowa. It was going to be a star-studded affair headlined by LSU’s Angel Reese and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark.
It was garnering the attention of everyone, as the matchup was the most highly bet game of the day, trumping even the NBA. It was easy to see why as there were plenty of headlines surrounding the players, coaches and teams involved.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, LSU, Iowa Updates
It was a hotly contested game, as the teams were tied at halftime. But, in the third quarter and second half overall, it was Iowa pulling away with Clark at the helm. Some early game jitters led to uncharaterictic turnovers from Clark, but she eventually settled in and led her team to a 94-87 victory.
She had an incredible game, scoring 41 points with 12 assists and seven rebounds. Clark was at the controls all evening, like a puppeteer as she had the game wrapped around her finger. It was a truly dominating performance, as Iowa will take on UConn, who defeated USC later in the night.
The day after the game, it was still Clark and Iowa who were dominating headlines and talk show topics. One of the shows where the Clark and her performance was was discussed was UNDISUPUTED on FS1.
Former NBA player Paul Pierce was on the show along with former NFL star Keyshawn Johnson and Skip Bayless. Pierce made some wild comments about Clark’s performance that has since gone viral.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, LSU, Iowa Updates
“We saw a white girl [Caitlin Clark] in Iowa do it to a bunch of black girls. That gained my respect… She did it to some girls from LSU who we thought was some dawgs — defending champs — and put ’em on their knee & spanked them,” Pierce said.
Those comments are certainly going to get Pierce some attention that he does not want. That is not the kind of “expert analysis” that people want to see from former NBA stars. They want to hear analysis about the actual game and her performance.
At the end of the day, that is what is most important. Clark and Iowa overcame a defeat at the hands of LSU last season in the title game to get over the hump and earn a spot in the Final Four. That should be the main story line, not turning the game into a battle of white vs. black.
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