by Suzanne Jackson
There has been plenty of madness this March during the Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament. The Final Four is set with the #2 Iowa Hawkeyes facing off against the #1 South Carolina Gamecocks. The #1 Virginia Tech Hokies will play against the #3 Louisiana State University Tigers.
The top-seeded Gamecocks beat the Maryland Terrapins in a 86-75 victory on Monday evening. Senior forward Aliyah Boston recorded a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds to help lead the Gamecocks to the win. This double-double was Boston’s 82nd career double-double for South Carolina. With this win the Gamecocks are currently 36-0 on the season and fans made sure they were there to watch the game live. The regional women’s tournament attendance record was broken during the Elite Eight matchup in South Carolina with 82,275 fans in attendance.
Iowa Hawkeyes junior guard Caitlin Clark continued to make headlines after being the only person in Division I basketball to record a 40-point triple-double in the history of college basketball. Clark finished with 41 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds against the Louisville Cardinals. Clark’s performance helped lead the Hawkeyes to their second ever Final Four appearance in school history after defeating the Cardinals 97-83.
The Hokies beat the Ohio State Buckeyes on Monday night 84-74 to advance to their first Final Four appearance in program history. Senior center Elizabeth Kitley recorded a double-double scoring 25 points with 12 rebounds making Kitley that all-time leader in double-doubles for the Hokies. This season the Hokies got their first ACC Tournament title, first NCAA Tournament #1 seed, first Elite Eight appearance and now their first Final Four appearance in program history. Fans are eager to watch the Hokies face off against the LSU Tigers in the Final Four.
The LSU Tigers beat the Miami Hurricanes on Sunday with a final score of 54-42. Senior guard Alexis Morris had a great performance against the Hurricanes leading the Tigers with 21 points. Sophomore Angel Reece had 13 points and 18 rebounds. Reece recorded her 32nd double-double of the season, breaking the current SEC record. With that win, the Tigers advanced to the Final Four for the first time since 2008.
Be sure to tune in to ESPN to watch the Tigers take on the Hokies at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, March 31 and stick around to watch the Hawkeyes play against the Gamecocks at 9:00 p.m. The championship game will take place between the two victors on Sunday, April 2.
