DALLAS — The last pass of Caitlin Clark’s magnificent 2023 NCAA Tournament run came with just over 20 seconds to play in the fourth quarter. It did not add to Clark’s 60, often breathtaking, assists this March Madness. It was to Molly Davis in the right corner. She dished the ball to fellow senior Gabbie Marshall, who missed the last of her five 3-point attempts.
Marshall’s errant shot landed in the arms of LSU’s LaDazhia Williams. A few breaths later, Clark walked stoically past Tigers star Angel Reese, who shook her hand in front of her face and pointed at her ring finger. Clark made her way to the handshake line as red and blue confetti rained down from the American Airlines Center ceiling. The scoreboard read 102-85 in favor of the Tigers for their first title in school history. Iowa’s virtuosic guard had long dreamed of making a Final Four. She visualized winning a championship. A coronation would have to wait, at least another year. At 4:53 p.m. local time, Clark and her teammates headed to a losing locker room.
Against LSU, Clark tried mustering the same artistry that had propelled the Hawkeyes to a Big Ten tournament title, to a Final Four berth, and past previously undefeated South Carolina in a record-setting instant classic on Friday night. Clark was…
