Tag: 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament

Photos from LSU women’s basketball’s Sweet 16 win over UCLA

The Tigers held on in the fourth quarter to move on to the Elite Eight yet again.

It was a nail-biter for nearly its entire 40-minute run-time, but LSU survived and advanced as the lower seed in its Sweet 16 matchup against No. 2 UCLA on Saturday.

The Tigers led by seven at the half but found themselves trailing in the fourth quarter. Still, coach Kim Mulkey’s team managed to pull away in the final minutes despite [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] fouling out in large part thanks to a game-high 24-point outing from [autotag]Flau’Jae Johnson[/autotag].

Now, the Tigers will face either top-seeded Iowa or Colorado in the Elite Eight on Monday night. For now, here are the best photos from the win.

LSU women’s basketball survives against UCLA, advances to the Elite Eight

LSU is moving on to the Elite Eight for the 10th time in program history.

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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Washington Post releases profile of LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey

While some former players were critical of Kim Mulkey’s style, the profile didn’t feature any new allegations against the LSU coach.

After a week of speculation and a cloud hanging over the LSU women’s basketball program amid its NCAA tournament run, The Washington Post finally released its profile (subscription required) of coach [autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag] on Saturday morning ahead of the Tigers’ Sweet 16 game against UCLA.

The profile, reported on for more than two years by Kent Babb, wasn’t exactly the “hit piece” that some expected. It focused mostly on Mulkey’s career history and relationships with players, and it doesn’t feature any new allegations against the coach, who has been no stranger to controversy throughout her career.

Mulkey is painted in the piece as a coach who is respected for her effectiveness by her former players, though they are often critical of her management and disciplinary style.

[autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag], who was suspended earlier this season for four games, was the subject of one section of the profile in which Mulkey apparently told a supporter via email last season that Reese was left off an awards list due to her GPA. In another email, she complained that Reese is one of several players who “stay on that social media crap.”

Reese did not provide comment for the story from The Washington Post.

Much of the story centers around Mulkey’s alleged discomfort with her players’ sexualities. This isn’t a new allegation; in 2013, former Baylor star Brittney Griner alleged that Mulkey advised players to keep quiet about their sexualities.

Several other former Baylor players went on the record with The Washington Post to echo those allegations, adding that Mulkey would often comment negatively on the way players dressed or wore their hair.

In the article, former LSU star [autotag]Alexis Morris[/autotag] takes issue with that characterization of Mulkey.

“Coach Mulkey is not homophobic,” Morris said definitively, per Babb.

Mulkey, who in a recent press conference threatened legal action against the newspaper if it published a “false story” about her, declined comment multiple times for the story, though Babb was in contact with her attorneys, as shown in the profile.

She was asked by ESPN’s Holly Rowe about the post ahead of Saturday’s game and said that she hadn’t read it and probably wouldn’t, though she said she wasn’t surprised by the timing.

With The Washington Post story now published, the Tigers seek to put the distraction behind them and return to the Elite Eight in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2007-08.

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Where LSU women’s basketball’s national title odds stand before the Sweet 16

LSU enters the Sweet 16 with the third-best national title odds.

LSU sits two wins away from back-to-back Final Four appearances, but it won’t come easy. The Tigers will have to go through UCLA before a potential Elite Eight meeting with Iowa or Colorado.

The first weekend wasn’t LSU’s smoothest. LSU struggled with Rice and followed it up with a rough first half against Middle Tennessee. Bettors took notice and LSU’s national championship odds took a hit.

According to FanDuel, the Tigers are now at +1000 to win it all. That’s a step back from the +750 where LSU began the tournament. Despite the odds being worse, LSU remains the third-best nationally. South Carolina has distanced its lead on the field, now at -165. Iowa is second at +750.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3012″ ]

Those odds speak to how dominant South Carolina has been this year. The Gamecocks are 34-0 and sit four wins away from a perfect season. LSU avoided South Carolina in the tournament last year after Dawn Staley’s group was upset by Iowa in the Final Four.

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Time, TV info set for LSU’s Sweet 16 matchup against UCLA on Saturday

The details for LSU’s Sweet 16 duel against UCLA have been revealed.

The LSU women’s basketball team is off to Albany, New York, as it reached the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2013-14.

The Tigers will draw UCLA, the No. 2 seed in the region, which came back from a second-half deficit to beat No. 7-seeded Creighton in its second-round matchup, in Saturday’s game with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line.

Now, we know when that game will take place and how to watch it. On Wednesday, it was announced that the Tigers and Bruins will face off at noon CT, with the game televised on ABC.

UCLA enters at 27-6 and has won eight of its last nine with the lone loss coming to rival USC in the semifinal round of the Pac-12 tournament.

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LSU women’s basketball to face 2-seeded UCLA in Sweet 16

UCLA survived against Creighton on Monday night to advance to the Sweet 16, where it will face LSU in Albany.

Though they trailed in the second half against the Creighton Blue Jays on Monday night, the No. 2-seeded UCLA Bruins survived 67-63 in the second round to advance to the Sweet 16, where they will meet up with the LSU women’s basketball team.

The Tigers are playing in back-to-back Sweet 16s for the first time since 2013-14, and they’ll draw a Bruins team that sits at 27-6 on the season. It took down Cal Baptist in its tournament opener before dispatching the Blue Jays to advance to the Sweet 16.

LSU will face off against the Bruins on Saturday in Albany, New York, at MVP Arena, though a specific time has not yet been announced.

The Bruins, led by 10th-year coach Cori Close, have reached their eighth Sweet 16 and first since 2019, which came at the tail end of a four-straight stretch.

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Kim Mulkey says Tigers weren’t distracted by outside noise against Middle Tennessee

Kim Mulkey rebuked the idea that the impending Washington Post report provided a distraction to the team.

Once again, LSU had a bit of a slow start in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday against Middle Tennessee.

It found itself in a double-digit deficit in the second half, though it ultimately overcame those struggles to win 83-56 and advance to the Sweet 16.

After the game, coach [autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag] was asked if the slow start could be a result of off-the-court distractions. Last week, news leaked that The Washington Post is working on a story about Mulkey and the LSU program, which she addressed in harsh terms on Saturday ahead of the game.

Mulkey rebuked the idea that the impending report — the details of which are not yet known — played any role in the team’s performance.

“No. Listen, man, we’re not going to let one sleazy reporter distract us from what we’re trying to do,” she said. “Absolutely not. My kids didn’t even know I said that yesterday. That team is not involved in this. They were in shock when they saw all that on the internet. I don’t take that stuff to my team.”

It’s also unclear when the story is expected to be released, though Mulkey threatened legal action on Saturday against the newspaper if it were to publish a “false story” about her.

The Tigers will face the winner of Monday’s game between UCLA and Creighton on Saturday in the Sweet 16 with the time yet to be determined.

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Flau’Jae Johnson explains how LSU women’s basketball stayed poised during comeback against Middle Tennessee

The Tigers will face the winner of Creighton-UCLA next Saturday in the Sweet 16.

The LSU Tigers beat Middle Tennessee State 83-56 on Sunday evening to advance to the Sweet 16 of the [autotag]2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament[/autotag]. That score was not indicative of how close the game was. LSU was down at halftime 36-32.

LSU would then go on to outscore the Blue Raiders 51-20 in the second half and 24-7 in the fourth quarter alone to pull away with the big victory. The defending national champions have moved on to the next round as they look to defend their title.

One of the key players in the game for LSU was [autotag]Flau’jae Johnson[/autotag]. Johnson led the team with 21 points. After the game, here is what she had to say about the win.

“I wasn’t going home, bro,” Johnson said, per On3. “I put in too much work. Our team put in too much work. I’m so thankful, man. First of all, I want to thank God, Jesus, my Lord and Savior. But I put in so much work, and I’m just a walking representation of that.

“We’ve got to stay poised and stay together. We’ve got to play together. I told them, if we don’t keep shooting one shot and they’re making a three, we’re not gonna win this game. I said we’ve got to play together. Let it go, let’s just play together. And look, we came out with the dub.”

The Tigers will face the winner of Creighton-UCLA next Saturday in the Sweet 16.

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PHOTOS: LSU women’s basketball advances to Sweet 16 with win over Middle Tennessee

The Tigers overcame a second-half deficit to cruise to a 27-point win in the second round against the Blue Raiders.

LSU’s women’s basketball team found itself in some danger once again in Sunday’s second-round NCAA Tournament matchup against Middle Tennessee.

The Tigers trailed at the half and by as many as nine points in the third quarter, but they stormed back. LSU outscored the Blue Raiders 41-20 in the final two quarters on its way to what was an ultimately dominating 83-56 win.

Now, they advance to the Sweet 16 for the 16th time and will face the winner of Monday’s game between No. 2-seeded UCLA and No. 7-seeded Creighton. In the meantime, here are the photos from Sunday’s win.

Kim Mulkey frustrated with LSU’s performance against Rice in NCAA Tournament opener

The Tigers came away with a 70-60 victory and now will face Middle Tennessee State in Round 2.

Two days ago, LSU women’s basketball played their first-round NCAA Tournament game against the Rice Owls. The Tigers came away with a 70-60 victory and now the Tigers will face Middle Tennessee State in Round 2.

Although it was a win for LSU, head coach Kim Mulkey was not even happy with the win. She holds her team to a higher standard and she knows if LSU wants to repeat as national champions, they will have to step their game up in a big way. The level of play LSU had against Rice won’t get the job done against South Carolina. Here is what Mulkey had to say.

“That’s not the same team that LSU put on the floor in the championship of the SEC tournament,” Mulkey said, per On3. “We don’t have much time but that was a bad performance today, and I thought it was a lot of selfish play today. It starts with me getting them ready.”

The tip-off for the Round 2 game against MTSU will be at 2 p.m. CT.

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