Flau’jae Johnson, the 2023 SEC Freshman of the 12 months, delivered one in every of her greatest performances of the season Saturday when her crew wanted her most.
Johnson’s team-best 24 factors helped the defending nationwide champion LSU Tigers draw back from the second-seeded UCLA Bruins for a 78-69 win within the Candy 16. Angel Reese completed the sport with 16 factors and 11 rebounds to report her twenty sixth double-double of the season.
LSU trailed 67-64 with 2:46 remaining within the fourth quarter however went on a 14-2 run to shut out the sport.
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LSU guard Final-Tear Poa (13) and ahead Angel Reese (10) react with teammates through the third quarter of a Candy 16 sport towards UCLA through the NCAA Match Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Picture/Mary Altaffer)
LSU will play within the Elite Eight for a second consecutive season and can face Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes. LSU defeated Iowa in final season’s nationwide championship sport.
LSU led by seven factors at halftime. However after making simply two of their first 20 pictures from 3-point vary, the Bruins hit 4 of their subsequent 5.
Consecutive 3-pointers from Londynn Jones keyed an 11-2 run that gave UCLA the lead at 45-44, and the groups had been tied at 48 headed into the fourth quarter.
Johnson had two early 3-pointers within the first half. Her spinning baseline drive and layup highlighted an 8-0 LSU spurt that put the Tigers up 25-18.
Aneesah Morrow (24), Flau’jae Johnson (4) and Angel Reese (10) of the LSU Tigers try to dam a shot from Lauren Betts (51) of the UCLA Bruins through the second half of a Candy 16 sport within the NCAA Match at MVP Enviornment March 30, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (Sarah Stier/Getty Photographs)
The Bruins made simply one in every of 16 pictures from behind the arc earlier than Jones’ 3-pointer from the left wing simply earlier than the halftime buzzer. That ended an 8-0 LSU run and minimize what had been a 10-point result in 34-27.
Angel Reese (10) of the LSU Tigers drives towards Christeen Iwuala (22) of the UCLA Bruins through the first half within the Candy 16 of the NCAA Match at MVP Enviornment March 30, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (Andy Lyons/Getty Photographs)
LSU is seeking to develop into the primary crew in NCAA Division I girls’s basketball to win back-to-back nationwide titles because the UConn Huskies gained its fourth straight championship in 2016.
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The Bruins have made 19 NCAA Tournaments and have been within the Candy 16 9 occasions, together with three within the final 4 years. However they’ve superior to only two regional finals.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
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