LSU and UCLA met in the NCAA Tournament for the second season in a row, but this time, the Bruins got the best of the Tigers and knocked them out of the tournament.
The LSU Tigers and UCLA Bruins Women’s Basketball teams met in the Elite Eight on Sunday afternoon with a trip to the Final Four on the line. It was LSU’s third consecutive Elite Eight appearance and was a rematch from last year’s Sweet 16 matchup where LSU knocked off UCLA. This time, UCLA got the best of LSU.
Both offenses got off to a very slow start. The Tigers went 1-for-12 from the field to start the game while the Bruins grew a five-point lead, but they finally got some shots to fall late as they grew a 13-9 lead by the end of the quarter. Perhaps the most important thing that happened in the first quarter, though, was Lauren Betts picking up two early fouls, which caused her to hit the bench early.
Despite Betts sitting out the entire second quarter, UCLA took it to LSU, outscoring the Tigers 22-12 to take a 31-25 lead into the half. LSU led by four entering the second and had the perfect opportunity to run away with this game, but the Bruins’ guards picked up the slack and got hot from behind the arc.
At the break, Aneesah Morrow led all scorers with nine points while adding five rebounds. Flau’jae Johnson, who scored just three points in the Sweet 16, scored just four points in the first half on 2-for-7 shooting.
It looked like the Bruins were going to run away with this thing early in the third quarter when they took an 11-point lead, but the Tigers battled back and cut UCLA’s lead to five with just a few seconds left in the quarter. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Lauren Betts shoved Sa’Myah Smith straight into Aneesah Morrow and gave her a bloody nose. She hit the locker room and didn’t return until the fourth quarter.
Heading into the final quarter, LSU trailed the Bruins by five and it looked like they could be without Morrow, but she returned from the locker room and checked into the game as the quarter began. According to Holly Rowe, Morrow battled through a broken nose.
UCLA grew their lead to nine early in the quarter, but the Tigers were able to fight back and cut their lead to as low as four with just minutes remaining, but a terrible call on an out of bounds ball and some bad shot selections from the Tigers cost them down the stretch as the Bruins advance to the Final Four with a 72-65 win.
Gabriela Jaquez led the was for UCLA with 18 points, which included four threes. Lauren Betts also added 17 points and seven rebounds despite missing the entire second quarter.
Aneesah Morrow, in her final game as a Tiger, totaled 15 points and seven rebounds, but it was Flau’jae Johnson who stole the show with 28 points on 10-for-18 shooting.
LSU’s 2024-2025 season is now over after falling in the Elite Eight for the second consecutive year.
