LSU and UCLA met in the Sweet 16 on Saturday afternoon in Albany, New York looking for a return trip to the Elite Eight for Kim Mulkey’s team. It was a back-and-forth affair, but a 14-2 Tigers run to close the game out sent LSU over the Bruins and into the Elite Eight.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The contest started with a sloppy back-and-forth between the Tigers and Bruins, combining for five early turnovers. LSU held an 8-7 lead at the 4:53 of the first quarter behind a pair of critical 3s from Flau’Jae Johnson.
After LSU jumped out to a 14-9 advantage, UCLA outscored the Tigers 6-1 to tie the game at 15-15 after the first quarter. Johnson led all scorers with eight points.
The Tigers controlled the pace of the game in the second quarter, jumping out to a 25-18 lead near the halfway point before UCLA closed the gap to 5. At the half, LSU led 34-27 behind 13 points from Johnson.
The third quarter was more of the same, with LSU keeping UCLA just far enough out of reach to control the contest. With 3:34 remaining, the Tigers held a 44-39 lead over the Bruins. Johnson led all scorers with 15 and Aneesah Morrow had 10 while Londynn Jones had 14 for UCLA.
Early in the fourth, UCLA and LSU were deadlocked at 58 in a classic college basketball game. Angel Reese was in foul trouble with four and had to leave the game for a bit to avoid fouling out.
LSU was strong down the stretch, including heroics from Johnson on both ends of the floor to lead 72-68 with 40 seconds left in the game. The Tigers held on down the stretch to win 78-69 and advance to the program’s 10th Elite Eight.
BIG NUMBER: 57
The “Big 3” of Flau’Jae Johnson, Aneesah Morrow, and Angel Reese combined for 57 points this afternoon for the Tigers on 19-34 shooting.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Flau’Jae Johnson
The sophomore was nothing short of outstanding on Saturday in Albany, scoring 23 points on 7-11 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds. She also made big plays on the defensive end including blocking a potential game-tying field goal in the final two minutes.
UP NEXT: LSU will battle with the winner of Iowa/Colorado on Monday with a trip to the Final Four on the line.