The LSU Lady Tigers will dance another day as the Lady Tigers came out of Friday Night with a massive Sweet 16 win over the NC State Wolfpack. The entire game was a battle as both sides took commanding leads at times but, in the end it came down to the final few possesions for each team and LSU's stars had just enough to come out of this game with a win.
LSU star Flau'Jae Johnson struggled most of this game scoring just 3 points before leaving with an eye injury. Aneesah Morrow stepped up for the Tigers and was dominant keeping LSU in this game into the fourth quarter. Then Mikaylah Williams took over for Morrow scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter leading LSU to victory.
Leaving this game, a few storylines standout as to why LSU is dancing on to the Elite Eight and one storyline lingers large.
Late Game Heroics by Mikaylah Williams
While for most of the game Mikaylah Williams couldn't get much going when LSU needed her the most as this game came down to the wire. Then down the stretch, Mikaylah Williams returned to her superstar form and dominated for the Lady Tigers. Williams scored 8 of the Tigers' 19 points in the fourth quarter and stepped up in a big way with Flau'Jae Johnson out of the game.
Aneesah Morrow carries LSU to victory
As Flau'Jae Johnson struggled the entire game, LSU needed either Mikaylah Williams or Aneesah Morrow to put the team on their back. Aneesah Morrow stepped up and delivered one of the most incredible performances you'll see scoring 30 points while grabbing 19 rebounds. The entire game while LSU couldn't get anything else going, Morrow grabbed the rebounds and was able to get LSU crucial second chance points.
Sa'Myah Smith continues to be the X-Factor for LSU
If this March has taught us anything it's that Sa'Myah Smith is a primetime player for the Lady Tigers. After her 20 point game where she went 9-9 from the field, Smith turned in another clutch performance scoring 21 points while grabbing 11 rebounds. As soon as Smith started dominating inside, it forced NC State to take a second player off of Aneesah Morrow which allowed her to dominate in one on one matchups. If LSU can continue to get this level of production out of Sa'Myah Smith the Tigers will be nearly impossible to beat this March.
How severe is Flau'Jae Johnson's injury?
In the 4th Quarter, Flau'Jae Johnson had to leave the game with what an injury after she took an awkward fall fighting for a loose ball. At one point, it looked like Flau'Jae Johnson was going to check back into the game but, the training staff continued to look at and work on her eye. All LSU fans will be holding their breath as Kim Mulkey shares any update she may have as the Lady Tigers will need all hands on deck if top seeded UCLA beats Ole Miss.