LSU triumphs amid distractions
BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU coach Kim Mulkey pledged that she wouldn't let an impending Washington Post “hit piece” about her derail the defending national champion Tigers during the women's NCAA Tournament.
A dominant secondhalf surge, led by star forward Angel Reese and dynamic guard Flau'Jae Johnson, proved Mulkey right — at least for now.
Reese's 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Johnson's 21 points, helped thirdseeded LSU pull away for an 83-56, second-round victory over No. 11 seed Middle Tennessee on Sunday.
“Listen, man, we’re not going to let one sleazy reporter distract us from what we’re trying to do. Absolutely not,” Mulkey said. “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.”
Mulkey grabbed headlines when she railed against the Washington Post and even threatened legal action.
Reese said Sunday that she didn't know anything about that, but other teammates did.
“Coach Mulkey's had our back all year, so we've got to have coach Mulkey's back,” said forward Aneesah Morrow, who scored 19 points. “We've got to play hard and for one another — and that's as simple as it is.”
LSU trailed by nine in the third quarter before surging to a comfortable second-half lead and ended the Blue Raiders' 20-game winning streak.
“I didn’t want to let my team down,” said Reese, who had a long embrace with Mulkey on the sideline when she checked out in the final minutes.
Reese also noted that she might have played her last game on LSU's home court because she hasn't decided whether to turn pro after this season.
“So, I did whatever it takes to win," Reese said. "And me and coach have that kind of relationship where she can get on me and talk to me, like, ‘I need you,’ and give me that encouragement that I need.”
MTSU (30-5) led 41-32 and looked primed to widen the gap when Reese tripped over a fallen teammate on an attempted layup and crashed to the court, sending the Blue Raiders on a 5-on-4 break the other way.
But Jalynn Gregory’s open 3 bounced off the back rim to LSU guard Last-Tear Poa, who fired the ball down court, where Reese had just gotten up and made an uncontested layup.
That play spawned a 10-0 run, fueled in part by Mikaylah Williams’ pull-up jumper in transition and her left corner 3, which put the Tigers back in front, 42-41.
“One possession can change everything,” Reese said. “That could have been the possession.”
Later in the quarter, Johnson forced a turnover by tying up MTSU's Ta'Mia Scott, followed that up with a 3, and later hit a bail-out, fall-away jumper as the shot clock expired.
“Everybody was going to have to suck it up and get down and do whatever it takes,” said Johnson, whose triumphant gesticulations after each big play stirred the packed crowd into a deafening frenzy.
“We just had energy. I mean, I feel like everybody felt that shift," Johnson continued. "My stomach was bubbling. I said, ‘I ain’t going home.’”
LSU wound up outscoring Middle Tennessee 27-8 during the final 8:22 of the third quarter to take a 59-49 lead on Reese's layup. The Tigers went up by as many as 30 points after that.
Albany 2 Regional COLORADO 63 KANSAS STATE 50
Tameiya Sadler scored all 10 of her points in the second half to lead a balanced scoring attack, and the No. 5 Buffaloes (24-9) advanced to the Sweet 16. They’ll face the winner of Monday's game between No. 1 seed Iowa and No. 8 seed West Virginia Saturday in Albany, N.Y.
Albany Regional 1
SOUTH CAROLINA 88 NORTH CAROLINA 41
In Columbia, S.C., freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley had 20 points including four 3-pointers, Kamilla Cardoso had a double-double in her return from a one-game suspension and unbeaten South Carolina powered into its 10th straight Sweet 16 with an 88-41 victory over the eighthseeded Tar Heels.
The top overall seed Gamecocks (34-0) needed everything they had to escape with single-digit wins the past two times they faced the Tar Heels (20-13).
OREGON STATE 61 NEBRASKA 51
In Corvallis, Ore., Talia von Oelhoffen had 19 points and eight assists to help the third-seeded Beavers advance to the Sweet 16. They’ll face the winner of Monday’s second-round game between second-seeded Notre Dame and No. 7 Ole Miss in South Bend.
Portland Regional 3 DUKE 75 OHIO STATE 63
In Columbus, Ohio, Reigan Richardson scored 28 points and added seven rebounds as the No. 7 seed Blue Devils (22-22) rallied from a 16-point first-half deficit and earn a spot in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2008.