The LSU star Angel Reese defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes, led by Caitlin Clark in the 2023 NCAA Championship Finals. The LSU Lady Tigers scored 102-85 to win its first title, bringing the 2023 NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament to a thrilling conclusion. Jasmine Carson, the LSU guard scored 21 points along with her 5 3-point shots.

Just when the Tigers were leading after two periods with 59-42, however, the Hawkeyes reduced the gap in the third quarter with a 15-2 run. Although the platform was already set for victory in the first half itself, the team was led to its crowing glory by LSU’s powerhouse forward Angel Reese.

Angel Reese is having an impact on the WNBA

Interestingly, the LSU Tigers and the Iowa Hawkeyes, both were appearing in the NCAA finals for the first time. Moreover, Angel locked in her 34th double-double in the final matchup and became the first woman to achieve that in a single NCAA basketball season.

However, this is where it gets more impactful.?The game turned out to be the highest rated ever. It was the most-watched women’s college basketball game to date, as it averaged around 9.9 million viewers (peaking at 12.6 million).

In her recent interview, Angel Reese talked about her national championship win having an impact on the WNBA – “It’s just bigger than me, understanding that I tweeted um after the national championship game that my growth isn’t just for the game right now, it’s also for the players that are before me and just the women that are in the WNBA. Hopefully, I brought attention to the WNBA as well because there are a lot of great players in the league right now that deserve that attention.”

In the 2023 NCAA Championship finals, Angel dominated the hardwood. Along with gathering 15 points, Angel scored 10 rebounds (a game-high). In addition to this, Carson at the end scored 22 points, a team-high, Alexis Morris scored 21 points with nine assists, and LaDazhia Williams bucketed 20 points.

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Raining storm on the hardwood, all these players led LSU to the national championship victory. Now, let’s learn about what drives the 2023 NCAA tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

The Story Behind LSU’s NCAA Basketball Champion

Since her transfer from Maryland to LSU, Angel Reese has been doing much more than expected. This quality has gained Reese huge on-court and off-court popularity. Her NIL deals too are on another level. All these things make her one of the best players in women’s basketball.

It’s natural for her to be the best as she was born with the basketball genes. Her mother and father both have played college basketball in their time. As a result, her childhood was dominated by hoops. Three consecutive IAAM (Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland) Championships, along with two conference titles were led by Reese.

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Moreover, she also played in the McDonald’s All-American Game in 2020 and won. Things were going well for Reese at Maryland; however, it was the Terrapins’ 2 consecutive defeats that acted as a turning point in Reese’s life when she decided to get a fresh start at LSU.

What do you think about Reese’s impact on the WNBA? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.