It wasn’t going to come easy in the Sweet 16, but after UCLA came within striking distance of ending LSU’s season, the Tigers escaped with a 78-69 win.
LSU finished the game shooting 26-for-57 from the field as a team (45.6%) and 2-for-5 from three (40%). The Tigers also shot 24-for-31 from the foul line (77.4%).
Flau’jae Johnson was LSU’s answer
Johnson had the hot hand for LSU for the majority of the game, leading the Tigers with 24 points.
She shot 7-for-11 from the field, 2-for-2 from three and 8-for-10 at the free-throw line. She grabbed 12 rebounds as well.
Emphasis in the paint led to foul trouble
When the post play was the main focus throughout the game, the guards took advantage. But the post players on both sides of the ball still made their impact.
But the emphasis in the paint found both sides in foul trouble.
Angel Reese and UCLA’s Kiki Rice both fouled out of the game with under a minute left. Aneesah Morrow had four fouls, and Johnson had three fouls. Aalyah Del Rosario also had four fouls off the bench.
Reese finished with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds. She shot 5-for-12 from the field and 6-for-7 from the foul line.
Morrow was right there with Reese with 17 points and four rebounds, shooting 7-for-11 from the field.
“I thought that Morrow took over a little bit offensively when we got a little bit tired,” head coach Kim Mulkey said. “I just thought a lot of individual players did a lot of little things to help us win the game.”
But UCLA’s 6-foot-7 inch center, Lauren Betts, found herself in foul trouble, too. She finished the game with 14 points and 17 rebounds, shooting 4-for-9 from the field.
“She’s a great player, great post player,” Reese said. “She worked all night for her points.”
Gabriela Jaquez was a force for UCLA off the bench, scoring 14 points. She shot 5-for-11 from the field and added five rebounds.
UCLA found it’s rhythm in the third quarter
Just as Johnson had her shot, Londynn Jones found hers in the third quarter. Jones made two 3-pointers with less than four minutes left in the third quarter to give UCLA a 45-44 lead.
The Bruins were back in it.
Jones led UCLA with 14 points, shooting 4-for-14 from three and 5-for-17 from the field. UCLA built off of Jones’ sharp shooting, and Rice led the way in the attack.
Rice finished the game with 13 points, shooting 5-for-13 from the field, and 3-for-3 from the foul line. However, Rice fouled out of the game with under a minute left in the game.
Charisma Osborne added eight points, shooting 3-for-6 from the field and 2-for-5 from three.
Who’s next?
LSU will play the winner of No. 1 Iowa and No. 4 Colorado in the Elite Eight on Monday at 6 p.m. C.T., which will also be played at MVP Arena in Albany, New York.
The Tigers now advance to a much anticipated stage with the chance to rematch with Iowa, which LSU defeated in last season’s national championship. But the Tigers could also rematch with Colorado, which defeated LSU in its season opener to 92-78.
Regardless of what the rematch may look like, LSU looks to pick up another hard-fought win to advance to the Final Four in Cleveland, Ohio.
“We just take it one game at a time,” Johnson said. “We’re on a high right now after this dub, but we’ll give ourselves until like 4:30, and then we’ll be onto the next one.”
