The LSU women’s basketball released its non-conference schedule for the upcoming season, and star Angel Reese had the perfect response ready for any critics.

The Tigers roared to the national championship despite their weak schedule last season. Heading into the NCAA Tournament, LSU’s strength of schedule ranked 89th overall and 315th for non-conference games.

This year’s schedule already looks tougher, with Virginia Tech and Colorado among the out-of-conference opponents. Both teams ranked in the top 25 at the end of the 2022-23 season, and the No. 4 Hokies went up against the Tigers in the Final Four.

Still, Reese must remember the sidelong glances her team received last year, because she posted a pointed photo upon the release of the new schedule. The photo shows Reese holding the national trophy surrounded by her teammates, with cupcakes in all of their hands. The message is clear: A “cupcake” schedule certainly didn’t stop them.

Reese also laughed off criticism of LSU’s schedule during the NCAA Tournament run. The Tigers, who entered the tournament as a No. 3 seed, defeated No. 2 seed Iowa in the national title game.

Ahead of the postseason, LSU head coach Kim Mulkey had assumed her team would not earn a No. 1 seed despite its impeccable record. The Tigers entered the tournament with a 28-2 record.

“Strength of schedule’s not going to change. The NET hasn’t changed. There’s nothing we can do that will change the committee’s mind,” she said before Selection Sunday.

Earlier in the season, Mulkey defended her scheduling in her second season as head coach at LSU.

“We inherited a program that won nine basketball games (in 2020-21), and if you think I am going to over-schedule before I know what I have, that would be a terrible mistake,” she said.

The 2023-24 schedule includes a visit to Reese’s home city of Baltimore on Dec. 20 to face Coppin State. The Tigers will also face Colorado in Las Vegas on Nov. 6 and host Virginia Tech in Baton Rouge on Nov. 30.

LSU women’s basketball is taking Washington, D.C.

The Tigers are celebrating their 2023 national championship with a trip to the nation’s capital. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden welcomed the team to the White House for a ceremony in honor of their victory.

“You showed us — girls and boys, women and men — what it means to be a champion,” Jill Biden said. “You gave us hope and joy, a way to find that fire in ourselves, and most of all the chance to see you soar. Thank you for giving us those gifts.”

Vice President Kamala Harris, who also attended the ceremony, recalled meeting LSU stars Angel Reese, Flau’jae Johnson and Alexis Morris earlier this year.

“I understood immediately when I first met them how you all took home the trophy because you are not just a team, you’re family, you support each other on and off the court,” Harris said. “Throughout your record-breaking season, you showed the world who you are. You are leaders, you are role models, and of course you are champions.”

The ceremony paused briefly after LSU player Sa’Myah Smith appeared to faint during President Biden’s speech. Smith was checked by paramedics, and LSU coach Kim Mulkey assured the audience that the rising sophomore was “fine, just a little embarrassed.”

A tradition for NCAA champions, the invitation to the White House initially caused a stir, as Jill Biden suggested extending the offer to runner-up Iowa as well. Reese in particular took issue with Biden’s comment.

“I just know if the roles were reversed, there wouldn’t be the same – if we were to lose, we would not be getting invited to the White House,” Reese said.

Biden later walked back her comment, and Reese and the Tigers accepted the invitation to celebrate its national title.

“I’m going to do what’s best for the team and we’ve decided we’re going to go. I’m a team player. I’m going to do what’s best for the team… I’m the captain,” Reese said of the decision to accept the invitation.

For Mulkey, the ceremony marked her fifth time greeting a president, as she visited the White House twice during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, once during George W. Bush’s presidency and during both Barack Obama and Donald Trump presidencies.

The last three of the visits were for national championships she won during her tenure at Baylor. The first came after she won a national championship as a player at Louisiana Tech, and the second came after she won an Olympic gold medal as a player with Team USA.

For LSU guard Jasmine Carson, this was her second time meeting a president. She and her grandmother visited with the Obamas when she was 10 years old. For most of the team, though, the White House trip was a first.

“As with any national championship trip to the White House, we’ve had the excitement and the build-up with the players — the apprehensiveness of not knowing,” said Jennifer Roberts, LSU’s director of player personnel and influence. “You see the White House. You hear about the White House. But now you’re going to the White House.”

LSU’s Washington adventure also included a tour of the U.S. Capitol, where the team accepted an American flag that flew over the building on the day of the national championship game as a gift from Louisiana’s congressional representatives.

When Angel Reese decided to transfer from Maryland to LSU before last season, she changed the trajectory of LSU women’s basketball. After leading the Tigers to their first NCAA Championship last month, Reese has helped put LSU on the map as the premier destination for transfers.

Coming off the 2023 NCAA title, LSU is the favorite to repeat next year thanks to the additions of top transfers Aneesah Morrow from DePaul and Hailey Van Lith from Louisville.

“It’s lit,” Reese told Just Women’s Sports from Overtime’s Takeover event on Saturday, the day after Morrow revealed her decision. “They say we are building a superteam, so I’m excited.”

A year ago, when Reese was looking for her new home, she visited LSU and promptly canceled planned trips to Tennessee and South Carolina after finding the perfect fit with head coach Kim Mulkey and the school.

This offseason, when Van Lith entered the transfer portal, no other school even emerged as a candidate for the graduate student before she became a Tiger. Morrow’s transfer process was full of fanfare as she posted updates on social media and announced her decision in an NIL-sponsored video. Morrow, the fourth-leading scorer in the nation last season, selected LSU over South Carolina and USC.

There’s something about LSU — or a collection of somethings, according to Reese — that instantly wins over prospective transfers.

One of those things is Mulkey, with whom Reese quickly developed a close relationship. The Final Four MVP sings her coach’s praises at every opportunity. Van Lith shares a similar bond with Mulkey, having nearly committed to play for her at Baylor a few years ago. Even though she chose Louisville out of high school, she maintained a relationship with Mulkey.

“Coach Mulkey and I have had a great relationship since I was in high school,” Van Lith said when she signed with the Tigers. “I am extremely excited and honored to have an opportunity to play for her. She will help elevate my game and push me to be successful at the next level.”

Van Lith fills a key role on LSU’s roster after Alexis Morris graduated and moved on to the WNBA. LSU needs a point guard who can provide another scoring threat alongside the team’s potent post duo of Reese and Morrow. Van Lith is a skilled attacker who dominates the midrange, which should help LSU open up space in the paint. That’s also how Morris did a lot of her damage for the Tigers last season, and especially during the NCAA Tournament.

Van Lith’s competitive spirit is well-known. After three seasons with Louisville, one of which resulted in a Final Four, the guard has yet to win a title. LSU gives her the opportunity to do so.

That was a key piece in Morrow’s decision as well. The former DePaul star averaged 25.7 points and 12.2 rebounds last season, but told ESPN last week that she felt she had “nothing to show for it” because the Blue Demons weren’t able to secure conference titles and appeared in only one NCAA Tournament during her tenure.

Now, Morrow will play alongside other established stars and be a part of what should be the most dominant frontcourt duo in the country with Reese.

Morrow also wanted a school that would help her become a more well-rounded player and person off the court. She’s particularly interested in growing as a businesswoman and entrepreneur. Once again, in the NIL landscape, LSU is at the forefront.

Reese is the perfect example. She expressed interest in modeling, and on Monday was featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition, just one of many off-court deals and accomplishments she’s seen come to fruition at LSU.

Reese and LSU teammate Flau’jae Johnson, who both helped mentor some of the top girls’ high school players in the country at the Overtime Takeover event this past weekend, led the men’s and women’s Final Four field in social media following. Reese, 21, also led all March Madness athletes in NIL merchandise sales.

“When I came to LSU, I had 70k followers and now I have going on 2 (million),” Reese said of her social media platforms. “(LSU) embraces it, and coach Mulkey lets you be who you are. On the court, she makes sure you come into practice and handle your business, but outside she doesn’t make you sit in a box and be one thing.”

Reese’s newest trophy-seeking teammates are ready for that, too.

“The chip is on our shoulder, for sure,” Reese said. “Everyone is going to be coming at us, just like last year, but that makes the game fun.”

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

Less than a month ago, Alexis Morris helped LSU win its first ever women’s basketball title. Now, the WNBA rookie is calling on college teams to better prepare athletes for the pro game.

Morris, who was drafted by the Connecticut Sun as the No. 22 overall pick, took to TikTok after her first day of group workouts with the Sun.

“This is for the colleges and the institutions: in order to grow the league, you have to prep the players for what’s to come. In order to do that, you have to watch the league, you have to see the style of play, the systems that they’re running, so that the adjustment and the transition for college players — women’s college players — to the WNBA won’t be so difficult.

“I’m not saying that it’s difficult for everybody. But I do think that the style of play that you play in college can either help or hurt you when you’re transitioning to college.”

Morris has more college experience than most. The Texas native started her college career at Baylor (playing for Kim Mulkey), but was dismissed from the team after a reported arrest. She transferred to Rutgers (where C. Vivian Stringer was head coach), but had to sit out a year due to the NCAA’s then transfer rules. She then made the move to Texas A&M for one year before concluding her college career by playing two seasons at LSU (where Mulkey had been hired as head coach). In her video, she didn’t specify how her own college experience prepared her for the WNBA.

Morris is one of 20 players on Connecticut’s preseason training roster. A max of 12 athletes will make the team, but that number could be as low as 11 depending on when the team’s salary cap is hit.

Morris isn’t the first person to suggest college players need better preparation for the WNBA. After the 2022 WNBA Draft, then Connecticut Sun head coach Curt Miller — who has since been hired by the Los Angeles Sparks — said of the 30 prospects he spoke to prior to draft night, 80% either didn’t follow the WNBA or follow it closely.

More recently, Kelsey Plum announced that she was partnering with Under Armour to launch “DawgClass,” a three-day camp for top women’s college basketball guards with the goal of helping ease the transition between NCAA competition and the WNBA.

“The women’s game has such a massive gap in the transition from college to pro, unlike any other professional sport,” Plum told Just Women’s Sports.

“You’re just kind of thrown into the fire and you’re on your way, it’s like sink or swim.”

@luthorrrrr First day as a #connecticutsun ! Here’s my take away from my personal experiences! #fyp #beapromovement #fyp #womensbasketball ♬ original sound - Alexis Morris

Top NCAA basketball transfer Hailey Van Lith has announced her commitment to the defending national champion LSU Tigers.

More than a week after making an official visit to LSU’s campus, Van Lith announced her signing on Instagram with the caption “eleven,” a reference to her jersey number with the Tigers. LSU sophomore guard Flau’jae Johnson commented on the post, “Let’s go get another 1.”

One of the top players in the transfer portal, Van Lith averaged 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists with Louisville last season.

Van Lith’s decision doesn’t come as a surprise. The guard has a connection to LSU coach Kim Mulkey, who recruited her out of high school when she was the coach at Baylor. The point guard’s final two choices at the time came down to Baylor and Louisville. Now, she’ll finally link up with Mulkey in Baton Rouge.

With Alexis Morris’ departure to the WNBA, the Tigers had an opening at point guard that Van Lith will fill in 2023-24.

The commitment could throw a wrench into the plans of DePaul transfer Aneesah Morrow, who is set to visit LSU over the weekend. The Tigers are among her final three choices for her next destination, the All-American announced last week.

Top transfer Hailey Van Lith is making an official visit to national champion LSU as she weighs her options for the upcoming season.

One of the top players in the transfer portal, Van Lith leaves Louisville after a junior season in which she averaged 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists. She helped lead the team to at least the Elite Eight in each of her three seasons, and all the way to the Final Four in 2022.

The 5-7 guard visited LSU’s Baton Rouge campus on Tuesday.

With the departure of Alexis Morris to the WNBA, the Tigers have an opening at the point guard spot, one Van Lith could fill.

Van Lith also has a connection to LSU coach Kim Mulkey, who recruited the guard toward the end of her tenure at Baylor. Van Lith’s final two choices out of high school came down to Baylor and Louisville, and while she chose the latter three years ago, Mulkey could still have some pull.

LSU women’s basketball fans came out in force for Wednesday’s national championship parade, and Kim Mulkey dressed for the occasion.

The head coach turned heads with her style throughout her team’s NCAA Tournament run, and she continued her fashion show at the celebration. Sure, she donned the traditional championship T-shirt and hat, but she also wore a purple sequined blazer decorated with sequined tiger heads.

Still, Mulkey is clear: Her outfits may be attention-grabbing, but she wants the main focus to remain on the court, where her team claimed LSU’s first basketball title in just her second year at the helm of the program.

“Basketball is the most important part — much more important than what I wear,” Mulkey told The Advocate. “Yes, my outfits are a little bit more sparkly, but I want to talk about the product on the floor — basketball.”

Jennifer Roberts — LSU’s director of player personnel and influence, and the one who coordinates Mulkey’s looks — acknowledged the fun that fans have had following Mulkey’s fashion journey.

“The LSU fan base, they love it. It’s the culture here — big, loud, fun, happy, all the things,” Roberts said. “They do everything big. … I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, ‘We come to the games to see what Kim’s going to wear.'”

National Championship

For the 102-85 title win Sunday against No. 2 seed Iowa, Mulkey wore a pink-and-gold sequined suit with purple stripes, an homage to her team’s mascot.

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(Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Final Four

The Final Four brought a bright pink blazer bedecked with large fabric flowers — as well as a 79-72 win for No. 3 seed LSU over No. 1 seed Virginia Tech.

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(Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Elite Eight

She wore a dazzling rainbow blazer for the 54-42 win over No. 9 seed Miami in the Elite Eight, from the aptly named Louisiana fashion company Queen of Sparkles.

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(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Sweet 16

A Neubyrne blazer with neon pink feathers running down each sleeve made Mulkey a presence on the sideline as LSU claimed a 66-63 win over No. 2 seed Utah, the team’s closest margin of victory throughout the title run.

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(Ken Ruinard/USA TODAY NETWORK)

Round of 32

The coach led the Tigers to a 66-42 win over No. 6 seed Michigan in a polka-dotted look some compared to Cruella de Vil.

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(Rebecca Warren/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Round of 64

She kicked off the tournament with a green-lettered “Kiss Me I’m a Queen” sweater in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. On the holiday, LSU claimed a dominant 73-50 win over No. 14 seed Hawaii.

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(Stephen Lew/USA TODAY Sports)

Angel Reese is feeling support from all sides, including from LSU head coach Kim Mulkey.

“Our team is predominantly Black. We have two white girls on our team, but they support us in everything that we do. They’ve always had our back in everything, I never have to worry about Coach Kim – she gets crazy,” Reese said Tuesday on the “I AM ATHLETE” podcast.

Speaking after her team’s national championship win, the LSU star pointed to Mulkey’s acceptance of her Black players as key to the Tigers’ chemistry and success.

“She’s hip to what we’ve got going on,” Reese said. “So she kind of has to accept the fact that we are who we are, and I think that she embraces that. She loves us for who we are.”

Yet not all of Mulkey’s players during her decades-long coaching career have felt the same level of support. Brittney Griner had a falling-out with the coach after her playing career at Baylor, as detailed in a 2013 profile on the pair’s tenuous relationship.

In the profile, Griner’s father told ESPN’s Kate Fagan that once Baylor lost to Louisville in the NCAA Tournament to end Griner’s collegiate career, Mulkey didn’t contact his daughter again.

“It’s about dollar signs,” Raymond Griner told Fagan. “There’s nothing in it for Kim anymore, so she’s done with Brittney.”

The article also revealed more tension between the two, specifically around Griner’s sexuality. During her time with the Bears, Mulkey did not want the star to talk about her sexuality, Griner said, although her being gay was an “open secret.”

During Griner’s time at Baylor, Mulkey was outwardly supportive of her star center. She even addressed the hate Griner received online during a 2012 NCAA Tournament press conference, stating that Griner was a “human being.”

But during Griner’s 10-month detention in Russia in 2022, Mulkey notably declined to comment on her former player’s plight.

Several other former Baylor players were critical of Mulkey during that time, including Queen Egbo and NaLyssa Smith. But Alexis Morris, who played on LSU’s title-winning team and previously played for Mulkey at Baylor before being dismissed following an arrest, had been vocally supportive of the coach.

Griner and Mulkey have not spoken since the WNBA star returned from Russia, with Mulkey saying ahead of the Final Four that she’s “glad she’s safe, she’s sound” despite their lack of contact.

When asked about her relationships with her former players during the same news conference, Mulkey said she does not remain in contact with every player she’s coached.

“Let me make it clear. You’re not in contact with all your former players,” she said. “Some don’t like you. Then you’ve got those that you stay in contact with… But you hope that, when your career is over, you have more that love you and like you and appreciate you than don’t.”

DALLAS — It was a celebration dripping in sequins.

The party started when Flau’jae Johnson ran over to the sidelines and sent a message to coach Kim Mulkey.

“You’re the GOAT!” she yelled. Then again: “You’re the GOAT!” And again. As her freshman guard shouted, Mulkey’s face wrinkled as she tried to fight back the tears pooling into her eyes.

The seconds ticked down, and Johnson couldn’t contain her excitement any longer. She ran over to Mulkey and lifted the coach off the ground, spinning her in a bear hug. Her purple uniform melded with Mulkey’s sequined, tiger-striped suit to create one blur of joy.

A season that started with criticism about a weak schedule ended in celebration on the ultimate stage. With their 102-85 win over superstar Caitlin Clark and Iowa on Sunday, the LSU Tigers were crowned national champions for the first time in program history.

Achieving that feat seemed unlikely at first, and unlikely still when the Tigers were blown out by South Carolina in the regular season, and when they lost to Tennessee in the SEC tournament.

Unlikely to outsiders, but predetermined to those within the program. Angel Reese has been talking about this since she transferred to LSU last spring. So has Kateri Poole, the friend who convinced Reese to make the campus visit when LSU wasn’t even on her radar.

“This is why I came to LSU,” Poole said after the game, with confetti swirling at her feet and her mother looking on with pure adoration in her eyes. An onlooker told Poole’s mom that she had confetti stuck in her hair; “I don’t care,” she replied with a grin.

In the background, Reese took photos with her brother, Julian. She took phones from spectators and recorded videos for them. And of course, she posed with her tiara, something that has become a staple for LSU celebrations this season.

Since the beginning of the season, the Tigers have pretended to crown Reese when she makes an exciting play or has a big game. At one point, they traded out the gesture for a real tiara. Reese, the queen of the tournament and the Final Four Most Outstanding Player, finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Alexis Morris finished with 21 points, 19 of which came in the second half, and LaDazhia Williams had 20.

None of them, however, was LSU’s leading scorer. That came from an unlikely source — but like the title itself, only unlikely to those outside the program. Inside the Tigers’ locker room, graduate transfer Jasmine Carson is a known scorer.

“Jasmine may be the second best pure shooter that I’ve ever coached in my career,” Mulkey said. “She can just light it up.”

Carson finished with 22 points, and the Tigers needed every single one of them.

The first half was laden with whistles, and Reese spent significant time on the bench in early foul trouble. Morris also picked up two quick fouls and went into halftime with just two points. Mulkey went to her bench, and suddenly it was Carson’s moment, one the Tigers knew was coming.

Emily Ward, a senior walk-on, noticed that Carson was hot in warm-ups.

“I went up to her and I was like, ‘OK Jas, you’re going to have a big game,’” Ward said. “None of us were shocked that she was doing that. She hits them all the time in practice.”

Carson scored 21 of her 22 points in the first half, going a perfect 7-for-7 from the field and 5-for-5 from the 3-point line during the stretch. Everyone on the LSU bench celebrated. And in a concert hall in Atlanta, so did Carson’s high school coach.

Phyllis Arthur’s boyfriend surprised her with tickets to a jazz concert a few days ago, not realizing the national championship game was the same day. But she wasn’t going to miss Carson’s biggest game at LSU, so as they waited for the opening act to go on, Arthur watched the Tigers on her phone.

Every time Carson hit a shot, Arthur jumped out of her seat.

Arthur has coached girls basketball at McEachern High School for 17 years. There, she coached Carson and coached against Flau’jae Johnson, so Arthur was thrilled for both players on Sunday.

Thrilled, but not surprised.

“That’s the Jasmine I know,” she said on a phone call during intermission of the concert. “I love her shot. And when she’s on, she’s on. And she was on tonight. Thank god.”

Carson is one of several LSU transfer portal success stories. She started her career at Georgia Tech before transferring to West Virginia for two seasons and closing out her fifth year with the Tigers, averaging 8.4 points per game this season.

Carson started throughout the regular season, but when the NCAA Tournament began, Mulkey opted to bring her off the bench in favor of having bigger bodies on the court.

Still, Carson stayed ready.

So ready that she didn’t need her usual pregame routine. Morris and Carson typically get up extra shots together in warm-ups, but today, when Morris asked her if she wanted to, Carson said no.

“I’m good,” she said.

And she was. She was really, really good. She was 22 points good. She was five made 3-pointers good. She was national champion good.

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Carson came off the bench to go a perfect 7-for-7 from the field in the first half. (Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

After the game, when Mulkey shuffled through the confetti barefoot, and Reese climbed a ladder to cut her piece of the net, and Johnson danced with her championship hat on her head, and Arthur cheered among a crowd of jazz fans, they all had Carson to thank.

“I didn’t have nothing to lose,” Carson said. “This was my last game of my college career, and I ended it the right way.”

She ended it as a national champion.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

LSU is bringing home the first national championship in program history after defeating Caitlin Clark and No. 2 Iowa 102-85 in Dallas on Sunday.

LSU head coach Kim Mulkey left Baylor in 2021 to lead her hometown team to a national championship, and she did it in just her second year despite tempering expectations throughout the season. Mulkey, a Louisiana native, got emotional as the clock ticked down on LSU’s inevitable victory, in tears as she celebrated with her team. The 60-year-old coach now has four career national titles.

“This team is just amazing. We built each other up from the summertime, and I’m just so happy,” LSU star Angel Reese told ESPN’s Holly Rowe as her team celebrated.

“Nobody thought we were gonna be here. Nobody.”

Reese had 15 points and 10 rebounds in front of 19,482 fans at American Airlines Arena, including many in purple and gold. With her 34th double-double of the season, Reese set the NCAA record for the most in a single season. She was also named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, in just her first season with LSU after transferring from Maryland.

LSU guard Alexis Morris came alive late in the game, scoring 19 of her 21 points in the second half and contributing nine assists.

Iowa cut into LSU’s lead by going on a 15-2 run in the first five minutes of the third quarter, but foul trouble haunted them early and derailed their chances of a comeback. Monika Czinano fouled out with over six minutes to go in the game, and Iowa had no answer from there.

Clark paced the Hawkeyes with 30 points and eight assists. The National Player of the Year passed Sheryl Swoopes for the most points in a single NCAA Tournament when she reached 180 points on a 3-pointer near the start of the second half.

LSU’s bench players stepped up big in the first half, scoring 29 points compared to Iowa’s two bench points.

Jasmine Carson, who came into the game averaging 2.2 points in the NCAA Tournament, led the Tigers in the first half with 21 points on 7-for-7 shooting from the field and 5-for-5 from 3. Carson’s hot hand lasted all the way until the end of the half, when she banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give LSU a 59-42 halftime lead.

The graduated transfer finished the game with 22 points and three rebounds.

Both teams’ offenses were firing from the opening buzzer. Clark got off to a scorching start, scoring 14 points on 4-for-7 from 3-point range in the first quarter, but it was LSU who took a 27-22 lead into the second frame.

The referees were active early, calling 12 fouls in the first quarter and 21 total in the first half. The highly-anticipated post battle between LSU’s Reese and Iowa’s Czinano was quickly defined by the officiating, with each big getting called for two fouls in the first quarter. Clark also took a seat on the bench at the end of the first half after picking up three fouls.