After cruising in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, the No. 2-seeded LSU Women’s Basketball Team returned to action on Friday to take on the No. 3-seeded Duke Blue Devils. Both teams traveled to Sacramento, California, after hosting in rounds one and two.
The Tigers were down double digits numerous times on Friday before mounting a comeback in the fourth quarter and taking the lead with less than 10 seconds remaining. It was all for nothing, though, as Ashlon Jackson hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to hand LSU an 87-85 loss, ending their tournament run.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
It was a rough start for LSU as Duke began the game with a 9-2 run. Other than Mikaylah Williams making a pair of free throws on the opening possession, the Tigers started 0/4 as a team and turned the ball over three times. Toby Fournier had six points on two made shots, and Taina Mair found Ashlon Jackson for an open three-pointer.
MiLaysia Fuwiley was an instant spark of offense off the bench. She scored 10 points in the final six minutes of the first quarter, not missing a shot, including hitting a pair of step-back threes and assisting on a Grace Knox layup.
The Blue Devils ended the opening period strong, scoring 11 points in the final four minutes. Arianna Roberson was responsible for seven of those points, and Mair rattled in a jumper from the charity stripe with four seconds left. The Tigers were down 24-19 heading into the second quarter.
Duke had another strong start to the next period as they extended their lead to as much as 11 with Fournier putting up four more points. Mair made it 34-23 with a three-pointer at the 6:59 mark of the quarter. Grace Knox ended the run with a putback and-one layup on the following possession.
Fuwiley continued to be a heavy contributor on offense, putting up eight more points in the quarter. Amiya Joyner and Williams scored multiple times in the closing minutes of the half, including Fuwiley finding Williams for a shot downtown. The Tigers wouldn’t make another shot in the final two minutes. Ashlon Jackson’s and-one layup put the Blue Devils ahead 47-40 going into the break.
LSU opened the second half by going on a 13-5 run to take its first lead of the game. Williams got to the free-throw line a couple of times, Knox had a floater, and Flau’Jae Johnson made a midrange jumper to give the Tigers the one-point advantage.
Mair and Jordan Wood got Duke’s offense out of the slump by scoring the team’s next nine points. In between the Blue Devil scoring, Johnson and Joyner got into the paint a combined three times to tie the game at 61 with under three minutes to play in the third quarter.
After a quick four points by the Blue Devils, Johnson and Jada Richard scored on back-to-back possessions, with Duke being called for a shot clock violation in between both scores. Mair ended the third with a 16-footer, and Richard couldn’t hit a buzzer-beater as LSU entered the fourth quarter down by two points.
Williams opened the final quarter with a layup, but Duke responded with an 11-0 run over the next 90 seconds. Fournier, Jackson, and Thomas all made and-one shots during the run to take another double-digit lead. The Blue Devils maintained a seven-to-10-point lead over the next couple of minutes.
Fuwiley was once again a major factor, scoring another eight points in four minutes, making multiple fast-break layups and a pair of free throws in the process. Williams also scored in the paint and hit a floater with 63 seconds to go, cutting it to a one-point game. LSU’s defense also stepped up during the run, as the last bucket Duke had was at the 5:11 mark when Mair hit a three-pointer.
In the closing seconds, Johnson missed a shot, but Williams got the rebound and drew a foul on Wood. Williams made both free throws to give the Tigers the lead with nine seconds left. Zakiyah Johnson touched the ball out of bounds on a missed shot, giving the Blue Devils another chance. That extra opportunity was what Duke needed as Jackson hit a contested right-wing three. That game-winning shot eliminated LSU in an 87-85 game.
BIG NUMBER: 44
The majority of LSU’s points came off the bench, more specifically by MiLaysia Fuwiley. Of the 44 bench points for LSU, the SEC 6th Woman of the Year scored 28 points on 11/17 shooting. Amiya Joyner and Grace Knox had nine and seven. This also comes with two Tiger starters failing to score in Friday’s loss.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Toby Fournier & Taina Mair
Both players scored 22 points each in Duke’s 87-85 win over LSU. Fournier was 6/15 on the night with nine rebounds and three steals. Mair was 8/18 from the floor and also recorded five boards, four assists, and two steals.
UP NEXT: The LSU women’s team will wait till the start of the 2026-27 season in November to get back on the hardwood.