When the two most fascinating basketball teams in the country tipped off in a win-or-go-home game Monday night, the country took notice: Iowa and LSU attracted the second-largest audience for any basketball game on ESPN — college or pro — since 2012, the network said.

ESPN says 12.3 million people watched the rematch of last year’s NCAA women’s tournament final, with a peak audience of 16.1 million viewers.

“Most-watched college basketball game EVER on ESPN platforms,” the network said.

The Elite Eight game pitted Iowa and its superstar Caitlin Clark, the most prolific scorer in NCAA history, against LSU and its superstar, Angel Reese, the NCAA’s record holder for double-doubles in a season.

It was the last time the pair will meet in college: Reese said on Wednesday that she will turn pro; Clark said the same in February.

“I’m leaving college with everything I ever wanted: a degree, a national championship, and this platform I could never imagine,” Reese announced on her Instagram account. “This is for the girls that look like me.”

Hype bloomed around a matchup of NCAA stars

Anticipation for Monday’s game was piqued by high-profile stories from big-time newspapers hundreds of miles away from Iowa City and Baton Rouge. The Washington Post published a multi-page profile of LSU coach Kim Mulkey, and the Los Angeles Times issued a much-criticized polemic against LSU and its players (the paper revised the column after it was called racist and sexist).

The only people who seemed able to put the game into proper perspective were the players themselves.

“I think overall, it’s going to be a really great game for women’s basketball,” Clark said ahead of the rematch.

“Me and Caitlin Clark don’t hate each other. I want everybody to understand that. It’s just a super-competitive game,” Reese said the day before the game.

Raising the stakes even more: Clark, 22, was known to be playing her final college games, having announced she’ll turn pro after this season. On Wednesday, Reese said she is also leaving college.

“This was a difficult decision,” Reese said on Instagram. “But I trust the next chapter, because I know the author. Bayou Barbie out.”

The Elite Eight lived up to its name

When it was finally time for Iowa and LSU to face off on Monday, the game quickly became a thriller, going into halftime with the score knotted at 45 points.

Iowa pulled away on the strength of Clark’s 41 points and 12 assists, prevailing over LSU, 94-87, in MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y. Reese fouled out with 17 points and 20 rebounds.