Reese and Clark's rivalry stems back to the 2023 women’s NCAA championship game
LSU star Angel Reese was among the many who congratulated Iowa’s Caitlin Clark after she dropped 49 points in the Hawkeyes’ 106-89 win over Michigan on Thursday night to become the NCAA women’s scoring leader.
Reese and Clark’s relationship stems back to the rivalry that was established during the women’s NCAA championship game last season, when Reese infamously waved her hand in front of Clark’s face, mimicking Clark’s own "you can’t see me" gesture.
Angel Reese, #10 of the LSU Lady Tigers, reacts in front of Caitlin Clark, #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes, toward the end of the 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament championship game at American Airlines Center on April 2, 2023 in Dallas. (Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
Clark defended Reese at the time, despite pushback from some, adding that both athletes were just competing.
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"I don’t think Angel should be criticized at all. No matter which way it goes, she should never be criticized for what she did. I’m just one that competes — and she competed," she said at the time.
Additionally, when Clark moved past Kelsey Plum’s total of 3,527 to hold the new record at 3,569 career points this week, Reese was among the first to celebrate the accomplishment.
Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark, #22, celebrates with teammates during a presentation after breaking the NCAA women's all-time scoring record during the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Feb. 15, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
"Congratulations @CaitlinClark22 KEEP BREAKING RECORDS & MAKING HER-STORY!" Reese said in a post on X.
CAITLIN CLARK BECOMES NCAA WOMEN'S ALL-TIME LEADING SCORER
Reese recently spoke about the rivalry between her and Clark in an interview with Women’s Health magazine.
"I love that we’re able to compete and still be cool after, regardless of the outside noise," said Reese, who was the cover of this month’s issue.
"People even say Magic [Johnson] and Larry Bird, that era [of basketball] and how it was. If that’s who we are, then okay, cool.…I think we’re both happy about what’s going on."
LSU Lady Tigers forward Angel Reese celebrates after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes during the final round of the Women's Final Four NCAA tournament at the American Airlines Center. (Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports)
Clark also set Iowa’s single-game scoring mark with 49 points, which helped the Hawkeyes chase Ohio State and try to keep pace with Indiana in the Big Ten race.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Paulina Dedaj is a Sports Reporter for Fox News Digital.
