The LSU women’s basketball team is heading to Dallas for the Final Four after beating the No. 9 seed Miami Hurricanes in the Elite Eight 54-42.
The Tigers are back in the Final Four for the first time since 2008. With another double-double from Angel Reese and 22 points from Alexis Morris the Tigers were able to fend off the red-hot Cinderella team that made a deep run in this year’s tournament.
The Tigers took control during the third quarter but it was a struggle for both teams to score. LSU shot roughly 30% from the field and 8% from three, and Miami shot around 31% from the field and didn’t make a three-pointer the whole game.
It could’ve gone either way with how both teams were shooting but there’s something that stood out that gave LSU the edge, defense. Just watching the game alone you could see how intense and eager LSU was on defense to shut down Miami’s offense. Although Jasmyne Roberts scored 22 points and shot 50% from the field, her supporting cast was negated.
Haley Cavinder who is leading Miami in scoring only shot for 1-6 from the field and only scored two points. Destiny Harden who is number two on the team in scoring went for 0-9 from the field and for 0-7 from three.
Now it could be that they had off days and just couldn’t find their groove, but it would be unprecedented to not give any credit to LSU. LSU ranks 11th in the country in field goal percentage defense according to NCAA.com, holding its opponents to a staggering 35.4%.
Forcing 18 turnovers and racking up 12 steals and four blocks, the Tigers found a way to win and pull away. Some people may overlook this in a game but this is a championship-type aspect during the tournament season. Teams will have off nights shooting especially with a tight window between games. However, it’s how you respond and impact the game in other ways to find a way to win.
Angel Reese didn’t have the offensive performance everyone was used to, but by showing up on the other side of the ball and having three steals and two blocks she made her presence known. Kateri Poole who only shot for 1-5 during the game, was able to stay on her defender forcing turnovers, and had three steals on top of that.
As LSU faces No.1 seed Virginia Tech in the Final Four, it will need to get off to a better start than it did against Miami. It’s unlikely Reese and Alexis Morris will have another bad game.
However, if they can keep up their intensity on defense and slow down Elizabeth Kitley and Georgia Amoore for Virginia Tech as they did with Haley Cavinder and Destiny Harden, the Tigers will be in a great situation going forward.
