ALBANY, N.Y. — Iowa fans crammed into the lower bowl after Caitlin Clark led the Hawkeyes back to the Final Four on Monday night, holding their signs and T-shirts and programs and Sharpies, all dressed in black or gold or a combination of both.
One young fan stood front and center, proudly holding up her sign: “Never Been a Sweeter Time to be a Hawkeye. Let’s go Hawks!”
She is asked: “Did the game live up to the hype?”
“Yes!” she said.
For 40 minutes, Iowa and LSU showcased the best of women’s basketball, a transcendent night for a sport starting to fill with transcendent nights. If Round 1 in the national championship game a year ago was a historic moment, the rematch Monday night was just as epic.
From the opening tip, it felt as if the large Iowa contingent would blow the roof off MVP Arena, its shouts rising with each made Clark 3-pointer or pretty bounce pass in the lane. LSU countered each time, with Angel Reese making plays in the paint, blocking shots, rising to the occasion the way we have seen so many times.
The energy buzzed across the arena, and when the first half ended with the score tied at 45, you just…
