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When looking back upon the massive spike in growth and popularity women’s basketball has experienced in the past few years, it’s hard to argue that the most influential moment from this came between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese in the 2023 NCAA championship game.
More specifically, when Reese taunted Clark by pointing at her ring finger and mirroring the “You can’t see me” gesture that Clark had been directing toward her Iowa bench throughout the NCAA tournament in the final seconds of the championship game, once it became clear that Reese’s LSU team was going to win.
This moment went supremely viral, catapulting both Clark and Reese to unprecedented levels of stardom that, in hindsight, feels like a watershed moment for women’s basketball.
“I’m a huge Caitlin Clark fan but” 🙃 https://t.co/5RriPAgYGJ pic.twitter.com/AskcnTphnx
— Stacy-Ann 💍🇯🇲♈️ (@tallawah12) January 3, 2025
Some feel like Reese’s taunt was justified, or at least harmless. Others feel like it was unwarranted, in part because Clark still finished the game with 30 points (which included going 8 of 19 from three-point range) and 8 assists.
Last-Tear Poa Speaks on Film Study Sentiment About Caitlin Clark
Reese (who had 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists in that championship game) can’t be blamed for Clark’s success, as the two play different positions and Reese wasn’t guarding her. Rather, Reese’s teammate, Last-Tear Poa, is among those who were assigned to guard No. 22.
Poa (who now plays at Arizona State) interviewed with The 6th Woman Basketball Podcast, which was released on November 18. When asked about facing Clark in that 2023 NCAA championship game and the impact she has made on women’s basketball, Poa said, “Yeah, [Clark] has changed everything. I mean, I believe her and Angel definitely changed a lot of the things, especially how we view women’s basketball.
“Just Caitlin Clark herself, I’ve always said she’s the Stephen Curry of women. Like, she can’t be stopped. Anything she does, she’s just a dog. And it’s hard to guard her,” Poa added. “I remember before the [2023 championship] game, we were watching film [on Clark] on the bus, watching film at the hotel. We even watched film right before we played, and the coach was like, ‘All right, this is the last time. Just have fun.'”
Poa then added, “I think preparing for that game, preparing for her, it’s definitely hard to stop her… Shout out to Caitlin Clark, man. She’s a dog.”
Whichever LSU coach Poa is referencing having said, ‘All right, this is the last time. Just have fun’ regarding watching Clark on film, suggests they knew Clark would probably cook regardless.
But Clark still couldn’t cook enough to beat LSU on that day.
