It was a battle for four quarters, but the LSU women’s basketball team survived in the Sweet 16 against No. 2-seeded UCLA, overcoming a deficit in the final frame to win 78-69.
The Tigers advanced to their 10th Elite Eight in program history and reached the quarterfinal round of the tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2007-08.
The first quarter was neck-and-neck, with both teams tied at 15 entering the second quarter. Eight of those 15 points for LSU were scored by [autotag]Flau’Jae Johnson[/autotag].
The Tigers controlled the second quarter, outscoring the Bruins 19-12 as they took a 34-27 lead over the higher-seeded team heading into the locker room.
UCLA flipped the script in the third quarter, however. It outscored the Tigers by seven and reclaimed the lead. LSU ultimately tied it at 48, but it was an entirely new ball game heading into the fourth quarter.
Both teams found themselves in foul trouble in a back-and-forth fourth quarter with [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag], [autotag]Aneesah Morrow[/autotag] and [autotag]Aalyah Del Rosario[/autotag] all picking up four.
Though it played from behind for a lot of the final quarter, LSU took a lead in the final two minutes, and a clutch layup from Johnson put the Tigers up four. An offensive foul on the other end gave the Tigers the ball back up two possessions with 39 seconds to play.
LSU extended its lead to six, but Reese fouled out with 31 seconds to play. Still, the Tigers’ defense held up without her, and they made their free throws down the stretch to salt the game away.
Johnson was once again the offensive star, finishing with a game-high 24 points while also adding 12 rebounds. Reese also finished with a double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds) despite fouling out, while Morrow (17 points) and [autotag]Mikaylah Williams[/autotag] (12) also scored in double figures.
Now, LSU will move on to face the winner of Iowa and Colorado in what will either be a rematch of last year’s national title or this year’s season opener. That game will be on Monday night.
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