LSU Completes Comeback To Knock Off NC State
SPOKANE, Wash. – The No. 9/9, 2-seeded NC State women’s basketball team dropped to No. 10/10, 3-seeded LSU in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, 80-73. The Pack had a three point lead with two minutes left, but the Tigers closed the game on a 10-0 run to end the Pack’s season, in which the Pack finished 28-7 and made its sixth Sweet 16 appearance in the last seven tournaments.
The Pack won the battle in bench points (21-7) and fast breaks (8-6), while three players reached double digits in scoring and six had 8+ points. Zoe Brooks led the way with 21 points.
LSU won the tipoff, but Saniya Rivers quickly stole the ball to lead to a Madison Hayes 3-pointer. The Tigers then responded with three straight baskets, which initiated a 13-2 run, while NC State was held in a scoring drought for over two minutes. Hayes knocked down her second 3-pointer of the game to put a halt to the drought, and at the media timeout taken with 3:19 left in the first quarter, NC State trailed 21-10. Aziaha James knocked down the Pack’s third triple of the game. At the end of the first, NC State trailed 23-15.
The Pack scored four straight points to begin the second quarter to cut the deficit to four. Zamareya Jones hit back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game at 25 with under eight minutes to play in the second quarter. The Tigers scored four straight points in response, but Jones knocked down her third triple and took it to the lane for two to give the Pack its first lead since early in the first. Brooks extended the Pack’s lead to three, but LSU tied things up with a 3-pointer. At the media timeout taken with 2:06 left in the second, the score was tied at 34. Brooks made a layup and Hayes knocked down two free throws before the end of the half, as the Pack went into the locker room ahead 40-36 at the half. Jones logged 11 points in just eight minutes in the second quarter.
Brooks came up with a jumper to start the third quarter, but LSU had a response with a 6-0 run to tie the game at 42. LSU retook the lead off a layup and went on a 9-2 run, as NC State was held in a scoring drought for three minutes. Maddie Cox then knocked down a 3-pointer to break the drought, and the Pack trailed 51-48 at the media timeout taken with 4:45 left in the third. LSU came up with a three-point play, but Rivers answered with a triple. The Tigers extended its lead to six late in the quarter, but Rivers made two free throws to cut the deficit to four, 57-53, at the end of the third.
James delivered a layup off a steal to start the fourth quarter and Brooks took it to the hoop for two to cut the deficit to one. Cox delivered a putback basket to retake the lead, 59-58. Brooks came up with a basket through contact and Jones knocked down two free throws to extend the Pack’s lead to five. The Tigers responded with a layup, and at the media timeout with 5:28 left in the game, the Pack led 65-62. Cox delivered her second 3-pointer of the game out of the media timeout. The Tigers cut the lead to one with a little over two minutes left in the game, but Brooks answered with another tough layup. LSU then made back-to-back baskets to retake the lead, which initiated a 10-0 run for the Tigers to end the game. NC State fell 80-73.