Flau'jae Johnson's LSU Tigers Career Over After 87-85 Loss To Duke
· Yahoo Sports
The LSU Tigers suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Duke Blue Devils on Friday night, falling 87-85 and thus being eliminated from the NCAA Tournament in the Sweet 16 round.
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The Blue Devils looked like they were going to run away with a win as they got up by as many as 11 in the fourth quarter. As most Kim Mulkey teams do, though, the Tigers continued to fight.
LSU went on a late 8-0 run to give themselves a chance to win the game. Mikaylah Williams went to the free-throw line and hit two clutch free throws to give the Tigers the lead with 9.2 seconds left.
Duke converted on a buzzer-beating three-point shot by Ashlon Jackson that spun all the way around the rim.
With that loss, it means the end of an LSU career for superstar guard Flau'jae Johnson, who will surely be critical of her performance after the game. She finished with 13 points on 6-of-15 from the field.
Tigers fans won't remember that, though, when they think of her time in Baton Rouge. She'll go down as one of the biggest fan-favorites in campus history after four years and that 2023 NCAA championship.
MiLaysia Fulwiley picked a great time to have the offensive game of her life, finishing with a career-high 28 points on an impressive 11-of-16 from the field. She also picked up four rebounds and four assists. Had it not been for her, this game would have been a complete blowout.
While they were waiting for Mikaylah Williams or Flau'jae Johnson to step it up, Fulwiley carried the load. She has been a massive win out of the transfer portal
The two-headed attack of Taina Mair and Toby Fournier from the Blue Devils gave the LSU defense fits in this game, showcasing two things that have really hurt the Tigers all season long.
Mair got hot from the perimeter, picking up 22 points on 4-of-9 from three. LSU attempted just eight threes as a team, which could have hurt them more if Mair wasn't the only Duke player who found her stroke.
Fournier just dominated the paint. She wasn't super efficient, but drew a bunch of contact from Tigers bigs and was 10-of-12 from the charity stripe.
It'll be back to the drawing board and the offseason. Big adjustments await Johnson with the WNBA, and Gary Redus hired by the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.