WASHINGTON — First Lady Jill Biden said Monday she wanted the losing Iowa women’s basketball team to be invited to the White House alongside national title winner Louisiana State University. She watched LSU’s 102-85 win over Iowa from the stands on Sunday night.
In his speech in Denver, the state capital of Colorado, Biden praised Iowa’s athleticism and congratulated both teams on their performance.
“I know the champions are going to come to the White House, we always do. So we’re hoping that LSU will come,” she said. “But you know, I’m going to tell Joe that Iowa should come too because they played such a good game.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether President Joe Biden would also extend a White House invitation to Iowa — and whether it would be a joint visit with LSU or a separate engagement.
After LSU’s win, Tigers coach Kim Mulkey said she would go to the White House if the team was invited.
LSU star Angel Reese tweeted a link to a story about Jill Biden’s remarks Monday. ” A JOKE‘ she wrote along with three laughing emojis.
Reese — the Final Four’s standout player — has garnered a lot of attention on social media over the past 24 hours since waving her hand in front of her face while glaring at Iowa star Caitlin Clark in the closing moments of LSU’s win. then pointed to her finger as if a ring was coming.
Clark set the record for points scored in an NCAA tournament with 191 in six games. Seeing Reese’s gestures, Clark didn’t seem concerned.
Social media lit up in the aftermath, with some believing it was trash talk that was just part of the game, while others condemned her for a lack of grace in winning. Reese didn’t apologize.
“All year I’ve been criticized for who I am,” Reese said. “I don’t fit in a box you want me in. I’m too bad. I’m too ghetto. But if other people do it, don’t tell her anything. So that was for the girls who look like me, who talk about what they believe in. You are without apology.”
Reese is black while Clark is white.
Clark, the goalscoring sensation who became the first to score straight 40-point games in an NCAA tournament, made a similar facial gesture to no one else during Iowa’s Elite Eight win over Louisville.
Iowa did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the invitation.
In her remarks, Biden also marveled at how far women’s sports have come in the United States since Title IX gave women equal rights in sports in schools that receive federal funding in 1972.
“It was so exciting, wasn’t it,” said the First Lady. “It was such a great game. I’m old enough to remember when we got Title IX. We fought so hard, didn’t we? We fought so hard. And look at where women’s sport has evolved today.”
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AP Sports writers David Brandt, Schuyler Dixon, and Eric Olson contributed to this story.