Page 14 - ARUBATODAY

A14 sports
Monday 3 april 2023
LSU wins 1st NCAA championship, beating Clark and Iowa

By DOUG FEINBERG the Tigers a 59-42 lead at
AP Basketball Writer the break. It was the most
DALLAS (AP) — Kim Mulkey’s points ever in the first half
LSU Tigers used a record of a championship game,
offensive performance breaking the record held
to beat Caitlin Clark and by Tennessee since 1998.
Iowa 102-85 in the national “I’ve been working for this
championship game on my whole life,” Carson said
Sunday to win the first bas- at halftime. “It feels great
ketball title in school history. to finally display it on this
The victory made Mulkey stage.”
the first women’s coach LSU shot 58% from the field
to win national champi- in the opening 20 minutes,
onships at two different including going nine for 12
schools. She won three at from behind the arc. The
Baylor before leaving for Tigers finished the game
LSU two years ago. The shooting 54% from the field,
feisty and flamboyantly including making 11 of 17
dressed Mulkey, who wore 3-pointers.
a sparkly golden tiger Clark had 16 points and
striped outfit, now has the five assists before picking
third-most titles of all time up her third foul with 3:56 to
behind Geno Auriemma’s go in the half, which didn’t
11 and Pat Summitt’s eight. LSU head coach Kim Mulkey holds up the championship trophy after the NCAA Women’s Final go over well with the sellout
Mulkey has never lost in a Four championship basketball game against Iowa Sunday, April 2, 2023, in Dallas. LSU won 102-85 crowd of more than 19,000
to win the championship.
championship game. Associated Press fans that included first lady
The loss ended one of the Jill Biden and Billie Jean
greatest individual perfor- her tournament with 191. 73-64 with 1:03 left in the her face with a “you can’t King, who sat together in a
mances in NCAA Tourna- The 102 points broke the third quarter when Clark see me” gesture. luxury box above the court.
ment history by Clark, the previous high for a cham- was called for a technical As the final seconds ticked Before this game, Carson
AP national player of the pionship game, surpassing foul. She swatted the ball off, Mulkey and Reese had gone scoreless in five
year. The junior guard fin- the 97 that Texas scored away as it was on the floor hugged, setting off a wild of her seven postseason
ished with 30 points. She against Southern California after a foul call against a celebration by the Tigers. games in her career. She
scored 40 in the semifinals to in 1986. teammate. That counted The game was tight for the had 11 points in this NCAA
knock out unbeaten South Jasmine Carson scored 22 as a personal foul for her, first 15 minutes before Car- Tournament before Sun-
Carolina one game after points, Alexis Morris added her fourth of the game. son got hot from the out- day.
she had the first 40-point tri- 21 and Angel Reese had 15 Clark played the entire side. She made all six of her It was high-scoring first
ple-double in NCAA history points and 10 rebounds for fourth quarter with four shots in the second quar- quarter despite there being
in the Elite Eight. LSU (34-2). fouls but couldn’t get the ter, including four 3-point- a lot of stoppages because
The dazzling guard, who Trailing by 21 points early in Hawkeyes much closer. ers. After one of them, she of foul calls, which made
grew up in Iowa, set the the third quarter, Iowa start- After Katari Poole hit a threw her hands in the air getting into an offensive
NCAA record for points in ed hitting from the outside 3-pointer in front of the and Mulkey mimicked it on flow more difficult. Clark
a tournament, passing the to go on a 15-2 run, hitting LSU bench, Mulkey started the sidelines. had a huge first quarter,
177 that Sheryl Swoopes four 3-pointers and having weeping. A few seconds For good measure, the scoring 14 points, but Iowa
scored in 1993 en route to a 3-point play to get within later after another LSU bas- graduate student guard trailed 27-22.
leading Texas Tech to the 65-57. ket, Reese taunted Clark by banked in a shot just before Carson banked in a 3-point-
title that year. Clark ended The Hawkeyes (31-7) trailed putting her hand in front of the halftime buzzer to give er before buzzer.q

Medvedev beats Sinner in straight sets

for Miami Open title

Medvedev is now the most first set Sunday. During the him to close out the first set.
sizzling player on the men’s changeover at 4-3, Sinner At 15-30, Sinner shanked a
tour, winning 24 of his last received a packet of pow- backhand that went long,
25 matches after his 1-hour, der that he dumped into a then fired a forehand bul-
34-minute triumph. His only water bottle to drink. let into the top of the net to
loss has come against “Woke up this morning not end the one-hour first set.
world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz at my best — a little bit While Medvedev has won
in last week’s final at Indian sick,’’ Sinner said during titles this year in Rotterdam,
Wells. the post-match ceremony, Doha and Dubai, this is the
Sinner ran out of magic, acknowledging that the Russian’s first title on Ameri-
Daniil Medvedev, of Russia, returns a shot from Jannik Sinner, of with his three-hour win late crowd was behind him. can soil since the 2021 U.S.
Italy, during the men’s singles finals of the Miami Open tennis Friday night over Alcaraz “Thanks for the support. You Open, when he derailed
tournament, Sunday, April 2, 2023, in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Associated Press in the semifinals — when gave me a lot of energy. Novak Djokovic’s bid for a
he had mild cramping in Unfortunately, I couldn’t Grand Slam.
By MARC BERMAN the year on Sunday, beat- the second set — looking play at my best.’’ Before a crowd that includ-
Associated Press ing Jannik Sinner 7-5, 6-3 for to have taken a toll on the Serving 5-6 in the first set, Sin- ed a handful of celebri-
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) the Miami Open men’s sin- 21-year-old Italian. ner didn’t have any dazzle ties, including Jon Bon Jovi,
— Daniil Medvedev cap- gles title and to move to 6-0 Sinner was visited by an ATP left and played a ragged Medvedev won the first 12
tured his fourth ATP title of in their career matchup. trainer midway through the game as Medvedev broke points on his serve. q