Louisiana State University forward Angel Reese approaches the basket during the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship against the University of Iowa on Sunday, April 2, 2023, in Dallas, Texas.
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The Louisiana State University women’s basketball team beat the University of Iowa Hawkeyes 102 to 85, securing their first National Collegiate Athletic Association Championship title on Sunday, April 2nd, 2023. The LSU Tigers were ranked number three heading into the tournament. The Hawkeyes were ranked number 2 in the league. The two teams played in Dallas, Texas, in front of more than 19,000 fans. The game streamed to a record 9.9 million viewers. The stars of the game were LSU forward Angel Reese and Iowa guard Caitlin Clark. Many records were broken in the matchup.

The LSU Tigers, led by Hall of Fame coach Kim Mulkey, scored 59 points in the first half, setting a new record for the most points scored in a half in a women’s championship game. The Tigers headed into the locker room at halftime with a 17-point lead. Jasmine Carson scored 21 points in the first half, including five three-pointers.

Reese was named the most outstanding player of the Final Four. The six foot three inch (190.5 centimeter) tall junior transferred from the University of Maryland earlier this year. Mulkey’s powerful team had a handful of transfers. Jasmine Carson, a transfer from West Virginia University, scored a team-high of 22 points.

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) dribbles to the basket in the NCAA Women’s Regional Final against the University of Louisville on March 26, 2023.
Credit: © Steve Faber, Cal Sport Media/Alamy Images

Iowa star Caitlin Clark scored 30 points in the game, setting the record for the most in a women’s tournament with 191 points. Clark was named the 2023 national player of the year. She broke the previous record of 177 points in a tournament held by Texas Tech University player Sheryl Swoopes since 1993. She also broke the men’s record of 183 points held by University of Michigan’s Glen Rice since 1989.

Clark has been recognized for her sharpshooting, particularly with three-pointers, crisp passes, and emotional reactions. She stands 6 feet (183 centimeters) tall. Clark scored 41 points against the University of Louisville and another 41 points against the University of South Carolina.

LSU’s 102-point game set a record for the most points scored by a team in a women’s championship game. The Tigers also became the third number 3 seeded team to win the title in league history. With many broken records and dynamic players, the championship game was a fun one to watch.

The white tiger has chalk-white fur with chocolate-brown or black stripes. It also has distinctive blue eyes.
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True or false: the white tiger is white in order to blend in with its snowy habitat.

False! Tigers can live in almost any climate. So why are they different?

White tigers are not a separate species of tiger, nor are they albinos. Rather, these individuals carry two copies of a specific gene that causes their white appearance. Genes are the units of inheritance that determine which characteristics living things receive from their parents.

The white tiger is a tiger with chalk-white fur and chocolate-brown or black stripes. White tigers also have distinctive blue eyes. All other tigers have yellow eyes.

White tigers are extremely rare in the wild. Wild tigers are found only in Asia, and only a few remain in most countries. More than 100 white tigers live in the world’s zoos. They are all descendants of a white cub caught in India in 1951.

Whiteness in tigers is a recessive trait—that is, a tiger will only be white if it inherits two copies of the gene for whiteness, one from each parent. The gene for whiteness is quite rare.

To provide the best chance of white cubs, breeders often cross tigers that are closely related. This practice, an example of inbreeding, has led to many cubs being born with serious birth defects.