Women's basketball: Caitlin Clark-led Iowa, LSU reach spots in NCAA Final Four

March 27 (UPI) -- Caitlin Clark continued her historic women's basketball tournament run, with a 41-point triple-double to lead Iowa past Louisville and into the Final Four. LSU beat Miami to claim the first national semifinal ticket.

Clark made 11 of 19 shots from the field, including eight 3-pointers in the Hawkeyes' 97-83 victory over the Cardinals on Sunday at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. She dished out a dozen assists and pulled down 10 rebounds in the Elite Eight win.

"We were never flustered by the stuff that threw at us," Clark told reporters, when asked about the Cardinals defense. "I think that was the difference."

Clark, who logged a 30 points, 17 assists and 10 rebounds in the Hawkeyes' tournament opener, is the first women's player to register 30- and 40-point triple-doubles in March Madness history.

"I did want the game ball, so I chucked it to my dad," Clark said. "I told him to run, 'I'll get it later at the hotel.' I thought I played a pretty balanced game."

The No. 2 seeded Hawkeyes made 52.7% of their shots, including 45.7% of their 3-pointers. Seniors McKenna Warnock and Gabbie Marshall chipped in 17 and 14 points, respectively, for the Hawkeyes.

"I pride myself on doing a lot of different things for this team," Clark said. "This is probably the biggest game I've played in but I also felt it was the calmest I've been before a basketball game in my life."

Star guard Hailey Van Lith totaled 27 points for the No. 5 Cardinals. Junior forward Olivia Cochran logged 20 points and 14 rebounds in the loss.

The Hawkeyes will meet No. 1 South Carolina or No. 2 Maryland in the Final Four.

Earlier Sunday, the No. 3 LSU Tigers beat the No. 9 Miami Hurricanes 54-42 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C.

Tigers star forward Angel Reese totaled 13 points, 18 rebounds and four assists in the victory. Tigers senior guard Alexis Morris scored a team-high 21 points.

Both teams struggled from the field, with the Tigers making just 30.2% of their shots and Hurricanes shooting at a 31.6% clip. The teams combined to make just 1 of 27 attempts from 3-point range.

"At halftime, we all just talked to each other and said 'we gotta believe,'" Morris told reporters. "'Just keep believing and keep fighting.' We felt like it was destiny. We were destined to be where we are."

The Tigers forced 18 turnovers and out-rebounded the Hurricanes 49-35 to reach the national semifinal. Sophomore guard Jasmyne Roberts was the only Hurricanes player to reach double figures in scoring. She scored a game-high 22 points, with seven rebounds and three assists in the loss.

The final two women's Elite Eight games will air Monday night on ESPN. Undefeated South Carolina (35-0), the No. 1 overall seed, will face No. 2 Maryland in the first game at 7 p.m. EDT in Greenville.

No. 1 Virginia Tech will play No. 3 Ohio State in the finale Elite Eight matchup at 9 p.m. in Seattle. The winner of the latter matchup will meet LSU in the Final Four.

The women's Final Four will be Friday night in Dallas. Those games, which tip off at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., will air on ESPN. The national title game will be Sunday in Dallas and air on the same network.