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Duke’s revenge tour will extend into the Elite Eight, courtesy of a swirling buzzer-beater from Ashlon Jackson.
After choking away an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils survived to reach their second straight Elite Eight, in a season that looked all but lost after a 3-6 start. They can reach their first Final Four since 2006 with a win over UCLA, who beat Minnesota earlier Friday.
The loss keeps LSU out of the Final Four for a third straight year after winning it all in 2023. It’s the first time they haven’t reached the Elite Eight since 2022, Kim Mulkey’s first season in Baton Rouge.
The game was close for the first three quarters, with Duke leading for much of the first half before an LSU run made for a back-and-fourth third quarter. The flood came early in the fourth quarter, when an 11-0 run gave the Blue Devils a double-digit lead.
They appeared to have the win in hand when that lead was still nine points with three-and-a-half minutes remaining, but LSU responded with a 10-run to take the lead in the final minute. Jackson contributed to that collapse with two missed free throws, then more than made up for them.
Jackson finished the game with 19 points on 6-of-14 shooting and 5 assists, while Toby Fournier and Taina Mair shared the team lead with 22 points.
The win ensures Duke will get a third straight chance to avenge a regular season loss. They paid back Baylor with a 69-46 win in the second round of the NCAA tournament and have now evened the score with LSU. Next are the Bruins, who thumped the Blue Devils 89-59 in November.
The difference ultimately came down to the ACC’s best defense by points allowed per game holding down the SEC’s best offense by points per game. Two-time SEC Sixth Player of the Year MiLaysia Fulwiley was brilliant for LSU with a career-high 28 points, but everyone else was out of sorts until late in the fourth quarter
The non-Fulwiley Tigers shot a combined 40.7% from the field with 4 assists against 9 turnovers. Mikaylah Willams (22 points) and Flau’jae Johnson (13) had the next-most points after Fulwiley, but on a combined 12-of-30 shooting.
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After choking away an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils survived to reach their second straight Elite Eight, in a season that looked all but lost after a 3-6 start. They can reach their first Final Four since 2006 with a win over UCLA, who beat Minnesota earlier Friday.
The loss keeps LSU out of the Final Four for a third straight year after winning it all in 2023. It’s the first time they haven’t reached the Elite Eight since 2022, Kim Mulkey’s first season in Baton Rouge.
The game was close for the first three quarters, with Duke leading for much of the first half before an LSU run made for a back-and-fourth third quarter. The flood came early in the fourth quarter, when an 11-0 run gave the Blue Devils a double-digit lead.
They appeared to have the win in hand when that lead was still nine points with three-and-a-half minutes remaining, but LSU responded with a 10-run to take the lead in the final minute. Jackson contributed to that collapse with two missed free throws, then more than made up for them.
Jackson finished the game with 19 points on 6-of-14 shooting and 5 assists, while Toby Fournier and Taina Mair shared the team lead with 22 points.
Duke has one more regular-season loss to avenge
The win ensures Duke will get a third straight chance to avenge a regular season loss. They paid back Baylor with a 69-46 win in the second round of the NCAA tournament and have now evened the score with LSU. Next are the Bruins, who thumped the Blue Devils 89-59 in November.
The difference ultimately came down to the ACC’s best defense by points allowed per game holding down the SEC’s best offense by points per game. Two-time SEC Sixth Player of the Year MiLaysia Fulwiley was brilliant for LSU with a career-high 28 points, but everyone else was out of sorts until late in the fourth quarter
The non-Fulwiley Tigers shot a combined 40.7% from the field with 4 assists against 9 turnovers. Mikaylah Willams (22 points) and Flau’jae Johnson (13) had the next-most points after Fulwiley, but on a combined 12-of-30 shooting.
Continue reading...
