Basketball On The Internet.

LONG-TIME Australian basketball fans have felt an affinity for Louisiana State University. It was at LSU that Aussie Olympic star Eddie Palubinskas grew to prominence and also where Maree Bennie and Julie Gross dominated, all in the 70s. Now it has an NCAA champion, as so do we in Melbourne guard Last-Tear Poa.

And Poa was no passenger, a couple of key defensive over-reactions helping Iowa's superstar guard Caitlin Clark wrack up a few inhibiting fouls as LSU stormed 102-85 clear to claim the first NCAA championship in the school's storied history - men or women.

Its 102 points was a record score in an NCAA Final, its 59 points to halftime also a record high. The Tigers and Hawkeyes combined for the most points in title game history.

Clark, who went off for 41 points as Iowa upset defending champion South Carolina in their Final Four semifinal, finished with 30 points and eight assists.

She had 12 points in a withering first quarter off 4-of-4 three point makes and finished with 14 for the period, despite LSU pulling 27-22 away.

Her eight 3-pointers for the match also is the new NCAA Finals record.

But LSU simply had too many weapons, with Jasmine Carson coming off its bench to go on a 3-point bender, scoring 21 points in the first half, including a buzzer-beating banked triple for a 59-42 lead.

Poa also slotted two 3-pointers 

No team had ever recovered from a 17-point deficit and while Iowa made a 12-0 run to force LSU to take time-out, foul issues for centre Monike Czinano, McKenna Warnock and Clark - her fourth a technical foul when she threw the ball away - meant the Tigers could regroup.

Alexis Morris was super in the final quarter, as she was all match, pulling LSU clear with a 21-point, nine assist performance, Angel Reese with a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Here is BOB CRAVEN's rapidfire summary:

Well, I felt that Caitlin Clark might not be able to pull off her third straight incredible game and lead Iowa to the win, but before the end of the first quarter of the title game against Louisiana State, I was having doubts about that. 

She had 14 points in Q1 but, unfortunately, Iowa was down by five.  There was a bit of back and forth, but otherwise after that, it was LSU all the way to the record-setting win 102-85. 

Clark proved - again - that she is an amazing player, probably the best offensive player and shooter in college hoops, and maybe in all of women's basketball today. 

A couple of the threes she made in the first quarter were in the 10-metre range, worthy of Steph (or anyone else) in the NBA.  But LSU was the better, more complete team. 

It had five players in double figures, three of them with 20 or more points, and their leading scorer with 22 came off the bench.  What a first half for carrot-topped Jasmine Carson:  21 of her points off the bench came in the first half on 5-of-5 shooting from behind the arc, including a long distance bank shot at the halftime buzzer. 

Aussie youngster Last-Tear Poa added a meaningful six points on 2-of-2 shooting from deep, plus a couple of assists in only a handful of minutes.

The trophy for fashion statement of the game, and of the tourney for that matter, goes to LSU coach Kim Mulkey.  She wore a different flamboyant outfit for each of their six games, but (I think) saved the best for last - a loudly multi-coloured suit with metallic touches.

NCAA FINAL

LSU 102 (Carson 22, Morris 21, Williams 20, Reese 15, Johnson 10; Reese 10 rebs; Morris 9 assts) d IOWA 85 (Clark 30, Czinano, Martin 13, Marshall 12; Czinano, Warnock 6 rebs; Clark 8 assts) in Dallas.