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.
Credit: © Ian Halperin, UPI/Alamy Images

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.

American basketball player Candace Parker
Credit: © SPP Sport Press Photo/Alamy Images

March is Women’s History Month, an annual observance of women’s achievements and contributions to society. This month, Behind the Headlines will feature woman pioneers in a variety of areas.

Candace Parker is an outstanding American women’s basketball player. Parker, a forward, is tall for a female player at 6 feet 4 inches (193 centimeters). She became the first woman to dunk in a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball game and then the first to dunk twice in a single NCAA game. Parker is known for her ability to control the game through offense, often leading in points and rebounds.

Candace Nicole Parker was born on April 19, 1986, in St. Louis, Missouri. Her family later moved to Naperville, Illinois. She was a star player at Naperville Central High School, leading her team to state championships in 2003 and 2004. Parker committed to play at the University of Tennessee in 2004. She played for Team USA on the U18 (under age 18) team that won the gold medal at the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Americas Championship. In 2006, Parker joined the Women’s Senior National Team. The next year, she led the team to win the FIBA Americas Championship, qualifying it for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Parker redshirted her first season at the University of Tennessee due to a knee injury. A so-called redshirt player limits their participation in a sport to avoid losing a year of eligibility. Parker helped lead the University of Tennessee to women’s NCAA basketball championships in 2007 and 2008. In both seasons, she led the team in points and rebounds and was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament’s Final Four phase.

The Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) made Parker the first player selected in the 2008 WNBA draft. She became the first player to be named the WNBA’s MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same year, for the 2008 season. Parker was named MVP again in 2013. The Los Angeles Sparks defeated the Minnesota Lynx to claim the 2016 WNBA title. Parker scored 28 points and grabbed (caught) 12 rebounds in the final game. She was named the Finals MVP for the tournament. In 2021, Parker signed a two-year contract with the WNBA’s Chicago Sky. That season, she led the team to win the WNBA title against the Phoenix Mercury. In 2023, Parker signed a contract to play for the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces.

Parker has also played in professional leagues in China and Russia, winning numerous league titles and individual awards. She played on United States teams that won gold medals in international competitions, including the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

June 28, 2016

This morning, June 28, legendary women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt died at age 64. Summitt coached the University of Tennessee Lady Vols from 1974 to 2012, leading them to eight National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships. She ended her career with more wins (1,098) than any other coach in NCAA Division I history. Summitt stepped down as head coach at Tennessee in 2012 after being diagnosed with early onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type.

Legendary Tennessee head coach Pat Summit, seen here with the Southeastern Conference tournament championship trophy in 2012, died of early onset dementia on June 28, 2016.
Credit: © AP Images

Patricia Sue Head was born in Henrietta, Tennessee, on June 14, 1952. She married R. B. Summitt, a bank executive, in 1980. She starred in basketball while attending the University of Tennessee at Martin. She graduated in 1974 with a B.S. degree in physical education. She received an M.S. degree in physical education in 1975 from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Summitt was co-captain of the United States women’s basketball team that won the silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympic Games and coached the U.S. team that won gold at the 1984 Olympics. In 2000, she was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and was honored as the Naismith Coach of the 20^th Century in women’s basketball.

In March 2005, Summitt won her 880^th game as a head coach, breaking the NCAA record held by Dean Smith of the University of North Carolina. In February 2009, Summitt became the first NCAA coach to win 1,000 games. Named the NCAA coach of the year seven times, Summitt led the Lady Vols to 16 Southeastern Conference tournament titles and 22 Final Fours. Her University of Tennessee teams won NCAA titles in 1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, and 2008. In 2012, U.S. President Barack Obama presented Summitt with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the country’s highest civilian honors.

April 6, 2016

Connecticut’s Morgan Tuck (3), Kia Nurse (11), and Breanna Stewart (30) celebrate Connecticut’s victory over Syracuse in the championship game at the women’s Final Four on April 5, 2016.
Credit: © Michael Conroy, AP Photo

Last night, April 5, the University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies women’s basketball team defeated the Syracuse University Orange 82-51 to win an unprecedented fourth straight NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball Tournament. It was the 11^th NCAA title for UConn and their coach Geno Auriemma, who now has more titles than legendary UCLA men’s coach John Wooden. The women’s tournament has been played every year since 1982, and UConn first won it in 1995. Last night’s game was played at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

UConn’s 31-point margin of victory looks large enough, but the game really wasn’t that close. During an apparent breather in the third quarter, UConn let Syracuse rattle off 16 points in a row. UConn was even playing short-handed. Their top 3-point shooter, freshman Katie Lou Samuleson, watched the game from the bench with an injured foot. UConn has done more than dominate women’s college basketball. They own it. Last night’s win was the 75^th in a row for the Huskies. This year, 25 of their 38 wins (with no losses, obviously) were by 40 points or more.

UConn senior center Breanna Stewart scored 24 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists on her way to winning the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award. She won it last year, too, and the year before, and the year before that.