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LSU women's basketball stayed alive in the NCAA Tournament with a Sweet Sixteen 80-73 win over NC State on Friday. Behind double-doubles from Aneesah Morrow and Sa'Myah Smith, the third-seeded Tigers prevailed in a back-and-forth contest.
In a game where Flau'Jae Johnson couldn't get going offensively, the Tigers turned to their front court and Mikaylah Williams to take down the second-seeded Wolfpack for the second time this season.
Morrow poured in 30 points and 19 rebounds along with three steals and two blocks. Sa'Myah Smith shot eight of 13 from the field, finishing with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Williams dished out six assists and flirted with a double-double, scoring 19 points and eight rebounds.
LSU got off to a favorable start thanks to eight points from Smith and two triples from Morrow. The Tigers held NC State to 29.4% shooting from the field and claimed a 16-9 rebound advantage. They scored nine second-chance points in the frame and got five substitutes into the game.
The Wolfpack clawed back into the game and took the lead thanks to an improved effort on the boards and three triples from Zamareya Jones. LSU still couldn't string together solid possessions and went into halftime down by four.
Early in the third quarter, the Tigers went on an 8-2 run, capped by Flau'Jae Johnson's first basket of the game. Morrow scored six straight points to push the Tigers' lead to six. NC State made the score close once again, ending the frame down by four.
Zoe Brooks scored 11 points as she put NC State on her back in the fourth quarter. Down by three, LSU turned to Williams and Smith. The pair combined for 13 points to put the Tigers up by three with under a minute to play. Each team turned the ball over with under 40 seconds to play and the ball got back into LSU's hands. In the bonus, Williams and Smith each knocked down a pair of free throws to cap off a 10-0 run to seal the victory.
Here are five takeaways from LSU's victory over NC State.
LSU's leading scorer struggled to get shots to fall against the Wolfpack. Johnson finished one of eight from the floor, scoring her first basket in the second half. When she started to struggle, she prioritized setting up her teammates, adding four assists. In the fourth quarter, Johnson headed to the bench after a collision with an NC State player and didn't return.
Her teammates stepped up in her absence. Johnson also sat out for the regular season finale against Ole Miss and both of LSU's SEC Tournament games. Head coach Kim Mulkey said previously that she doesn't regret sitting Johnson, who dealt with a shin injury, and she certainly won't begin to second guess the decision after Friday's game. Her reserve guards stepped up to feed Morrow and Smith on the inside, resulting in the victory.
Once again, LSU's frontcourt was the key to a March Madness victory. Morrow and Smith combined for 51 of the Tigers' 80 points. NC State started the game by collapsing on Morrow and doubling her on every touch. Smith capitalized on the extra space, scoring LSU's first six points of the game and down the stretch. She matched a career-high with her total points and continues a strong stretch of postseason performances.
Morrow still wouldn't be denied, scoring her first six points from distance and coming away with numerous second chance points. She scored at will in the second half as NC State head coach Wes Moore ran out of ways for his team to defend the senior forward. Williams also got going with paint production either pulling up for mid range jumpers or dumping passes underneath to Morrow and Smith.
Following a game in which they made 15 triples, NC State felt confident shooting from distance against LSU. Its first four shots came from beyond the arc and all were off the mark. The Wolfpack made three of their attempted 10 triples in the opening frame. A deviation from their typical dribble and dish game, their guard-heavy lineup got shots to fall in the second quarter.
Coming off the bench, true freshman Jones knocked down three triples to get her team back in the game. She took advantage of lose defense by the Tigers, as was the case for many NC State shooters in the first half. LSU invited its opponent to take those shots, which cost them the lead heading into halftime. After what was surely a spirited talk from Mulkey at the break, the Tigers' perimeter players tightened up and forced tougher shots in the second half.
An NC State player hasn't fouled out in a game this season, demonstrating the team's ability to play disciplined defense. That wasn't the case early in Friday's contest as frontcourt leader Madison Hayes picked up two fouls in the first quarter. A key cog in the machine keeping Morrow in check inside, she headed to the bench for much of the first half and played just 20 minutes of the contest. Leading scorer Aziaha James also racked up some fouls and both players finished with four.
Last-Tear Poa picked up her second foul seconds into the second quarter. Following her exit, the Tigers turned the ball over more frequently and gave up their double-digit lead. The game proved to be physical as both teams up and down the court for loose balls, rebounds, and points in transition.
LSU advances to the Elite Eight for the third-straight season. It will face the winner of Ole Miss and UCLA in Spokane on Sunday.
Last season, the Tigers were eliminated in the Elite Eight by Iowa in a rematch of the 2023 National Championship game. They'll fight to keep their season going and prepare to face a team they lost to in the regular season or the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament field.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Five takeaways from LSU women's basketball's Sweet 16 win vs NCST
Continue reading...
In a game where Flau'Jae Johnson couldn't get going offensively, the Tigers turned to their front court and Mikaylah Williams to take down the second-seeded Wolfpack for the second time this season.
Morrow poured in 30 points and 19 rebounds along with three steals and two blocks. Sa'Myah Smith shot eight of 13 from the field, finishing with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Williams dished out six assists and flirted with a double-double, scoring 19 points and eight rebounds.
LSU got off to a favorable start thanks to eight points from Smith and two triples from Morrow. The Tigers held NC State to 29.4% shooting from the field and claimed a 16-9 rebound advantage. They scored nine second-chance points in the frame and got five substitutes into the game.
The Wolfpack clawed back into the game and took the lead thanks to an improved effort on the boards and three triples from Zamareya Jones. LSU still couldn't string together solid possessions and went into halftime down by four.
Early in the third quarter, the Tigers went on an 8-2 run, capped by Flau'Jae Johnson's first basket of the game. Morrow scored six straight points to push the Tigers' lead to six. NC State made the score close once again, ending the frame down by four.
Zoe Brooks scored 11 points as she put NC State on her back in the fourth quarter. Down by three, LSU turned to Williams and Smith. The pair combined for 13 points to put the Tigers up by three with under a minute to play. Each team turned the ball over with under 40 seconds to play and the ball got back into LSU's hands. In the bonus, Williams and Smith each knocked down a pair of free throws to cap off a 10-0 run to seal the victory.
Here are five takeaways from LSU's victory over NC State.
Tigers fight through to win in Johnson's absence
LSU's leading scorer struggled to get shots to fall against the Wolfpack. Johnson finished one of eight from the floor, scoring her first basket in the second half. When she started to struggle, she prioritized setting up her teammates, adding four assists. In the fourth quarter, Johnson headed to the bench after a collision with an NC State player and didn't return.
Her teammates stepped up in her absence. Johnson also sat out for the regular season finale against Ole Miss and both of LSU's SEC Tournament games. Head coach Kim Mulkey said previously that she doesn't regret sitting Johnson, who dealt with a shin injury, and she certainly won't begin to second guess the decision after Friday's game. Her reserve guards stepped up to feed Morrow and Smith on the inside, resulting in the victory.
Paint points the difference in Elite Eight game
Once again, LSU's frontcourt was the key to a March Madness victory. Morrow and Smith combined for 51 of the Tigers' 80 points. NC State started the game by collapsing on Morrow and doubling her on every touch. Smith capitalized on the extra space, scoring LSU's first six points of the game and down the stretch. She matched a career-high with her total points and continues a strong stretch of postseason performances.
Morrow still wouldn't be denied, scoring her first six points from distance and coming away with numerous second chance points. She scored at will in the second half as NC State head coach Wes Moore ran out of ways for his team to defend the senior forward. Williams also got going with paint production either pulling up for mid range jumpers or dumping passes underneath to Morrow and Smith.
NC State falls in love with the three-pointer
Following a game in which they made 15 triples, NC State felt confident shooting from distance against LSU. Its first four shots came from beyond the arc and all were off the mark. The Wolfpack made three of their attempted 10 triples in the opening frame. A deviation from their typical dribble and dish game, their guard-heavy lineup got shots to fall in the second quarter.
Coming off the bench, true freshman Jones knocked down three triples to get her team back in the game. She took advantage of lose defense by the Tigers, as was the case for many NC State shooters in the first half. LSU invited its opponent to take those shots, which cost them the lead heading into halftime. After what was surely a spirited talk from Mulkey at the break, the Tigers' perimeter players tightened up and forced tougher shots in the second half.
Foul trouble affects first half
An NC State player hasn't fouled out in a game this season, demonstrating the team's ability to play disciplined defense. That wasn't the case early in Friday's contest as frontcourt leader Madison Hayes picked up two fouls in the first quarter. A key cog in the machine keeping Morrow in check inside, she headed to the bench for much of the first half and played just 20 minutes of the contest. Leading scorer Aziaha James also racked up some fouls and both players finished with four.
Last-Tear Poa picked up her second foul seconds into the second quarter. Following her exit, the Tigers turned the ball over more frequently and gave up their double-digit lead. The game proved to be physical as both teams up and down the court for loose balls, rebounds, and points in transition.
What's next?
LSU advances to the Elite Eight for the third-straight season. It will face the winner of Ole Miss and UCLA in Spokane on Sunday.
Last season, the Tigers were eliminated in the Elite Eight by Iowa in a rematch of the 2023 National Championship game. They'll fight to keep their season going and prepare to face a team they lost to in the regular season or the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament field.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Five takeaways from LSU women's basketball's Sweet 16 win vs NCST
Continue reading...
