The defending champion LSU Tigers dug deep on Saturday to get past UCLA, 78-69, in the Sweet 16 round of the 2024 NCAA Women’s Tournament. The Tigers were down by three with less than three minutes to play, but closed the game on a furious 14-2 run to advance. They will now face the winner of Iowa and Colorado in the Elite Eight on Monday.
Both teams struggled to find a rhythm early, and the score remained tied at the end of the first quarter. The Tigers then used a surge at the end of the first half to take the lead into the break, but the Bruins responded with a run of their own in the third to tie it back up heading into the fourth.
Suddenly, both teams sprung to life and started trading baskets left and right. When Angel Reese picked up her fourth foul with 8:16 to play, it seemed the Bruins had the opening they needed, but freshman Mikaylah Williams scored three consecutive baskets for the Tigers to keep pace. Still, it was the Bruins holding a narrow lead as the clock ticked below three minutes.
From that point on, however,…
