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BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson and Florida State's Ta’Niya Latson will face off for the first time since high school in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday.
The last time the two met was in 2022 when Latson’s American Heritage School beat Johnson's Sprayberry High School 77-63. Latson outscored Johnson 38-33 in the game.
“Me and Flau’jae go way back,” Latson said. “We used to train together a little bit, too. She’s stronger now. She’s bigger now. She can shoot the ball. She’s always great to play against.”
Johnson leads the Tigers in scoring, averaging 19.0 points per game. Latson does the same for her team and for the entire nation with 25.0 points per game. Each player led their team in scoring during their first-round matchups, with Latson scoring 28 points and Johnson putting up 22.
Watch LSU vs. FSU on Fubo
Johnson said she wasn’t surprised to see the success Latson has had in college, especially considering the team and talent that surrounds her.
“She moves her body well,” Johnson said. “She’s not the quickest player but she knows how to get her spots. She’s going to get that shot up regardless.”
LSU head coach Kim Mulkey acknowledged how difficult it can be to defend Latson, who went 11-of-14 from the free throw line in the first round, without fouling.
“She leans into you and tries to draw fouls,” Mulkey said. “So we’ll have multiple people that have the assignment to guard her.”
Both Latson and Johnson earned All-American status this season, being named to the first and third teams respectively. Both will try to get the best of each other just as they did in high school.
“I think you’re going to see two leaders that are going to do what they need to do to win for their team,” FSU coach Brooke Wyckoff said.
Tatum Esparza is a student in the University of Georgia's Sports Media Certificate program.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LSU women’s basketball vs FSU in NCAA bracket features two superstars
Continue reading...
The last time the two met was in 2022 when Latson’s American Heritage School beat Johnson's Sprayberry High School 77-63. Latson outscored Johnson 38-33 in the game.
“Me and Flau’jae go way back,” Latson said. “We used to train together a little bit, too. She’s stronger now. She’s bigger now. She can shoot the ball. She’s always great to play against.”
Johnson leads the Tigers in scoring, averaging 19.0 points per game. Latson does the same for her team and for the entire nation with 25.0 points per game. Each player led their team in scoring during their first-round matchups, with Latson scoring 28 points and Johnson putting up 22.
Watch LSU vs. FSU on Fubo
Johnson said she wasn’t surprised to see the success Latson has had in college, especially considering the team and talent that surrounds her.
“She moves her body well,” Johnson said. “She’s not the quickest player but she knows how to get her spots. She’s going to get that shot up regardless.”
LSU head coach Kim Mulkey acknowledged how difficult it can be to defend Latson, who went 11-of-14 from the free throw line in the first round, without fouling.
“She leans into you and tries to draw fouls,” Mulkey said. “So we’ll have multiple people that have the assignment to guard her.”
Both Latson and Johnson earned All-American status this season, being named to the first and third teams respectively. Both will try to get the best of each other just as they did in high school.
“I think you’re going to see two leaders that are going to do what they need to do to win for their team,” FSU coach Brooke Wyckoff said.
LSU women's basketball vs. FSU date, time, where to watch
- Date: Monday, March 24
- Time: 6 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN
- Streaming: Fubo
Tatum Esparza is a student in the University of Georgia's Sports Media Certificate program.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LSU women’s basketball vs FSU in NCAA bracket features two superstars
Continue reading...
