GREENVILLE, S.C. — Miami’s defense was playing at its peak. The Hurricanes had forced the Louisiana State star forward Angel Reese to miss all nine of her first-half shots in Sunday’s round-of-8 matchup in the women’s N.C.A.A. tournament. But at halftime, in a game that statistics suggested Miami should have been dominating, L.S.U. was up by 6 points.
That trend continued in the second half. Though L.S.U. displayed one of its worst shooting games of its season, the Tigers’ defense stifled Miami even more, and L.S.U. won, 54-42, to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2008.
Reese, who was named the most outstanding player in the Greenville 2 Region, produced her 32nd double-double of the season, filling the box score with 13 points, 18 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. The Tigers were led by 21 points from Alexis Morris, who kept them going in the mistake-filled first half. On Friday in Dallas, L.S.U. will play the winner of Monday’s game between No. 1-seeded Virginia Tech and No. 3-seeded Ohio State
“I am the comeback kid,” said Morris, a fifth-year senior who played at Rutgers, Baylor, and Texas A&M. Morris, wearing the basketball net she had just cut down around her neck and a Final Four hat, added: “I beat it. I beat the odds.”
As…
