GREENVILLE, S.C. – Behind a suffocating defensive efficiency, the LSU Ladies’s Basketball group earned its first journey to the NCAA Ladies’s Remaining 4 in 15 years, defeating Miami (Fla.), 54-42, on Sunday night at Bon Secours Wellness Area.

LSU (32-2) returns to the Ladies’s Remaining 4 for the primary time since making five-straight appearances from 2004-08. The Tigers will face the winner of Monday’s matchup in Seattle between No. 1 seed Virginia Tech and No. 3 seed Ohio State. The winners of Louisville vs. Iowa and South Carolina vs. Maryland will comprise the opposite nationwide semifinal.

Friday’s nationwide semifinal will tip-off at both 6 or 8:30 p.m. CT from American Airways Middle in Dallas, Texas.

Head Coach Kim Mulkey, a three-time nationwide championship coach at Baylor (2005, 2012, 2019), superior to the Ladies’s Remaining 4 for the fifth time in her 23-year profession as a head coach.

Each semifinal video games can be televised by ESPN, with Sunday’s nationwide championship recreation on ABC beginning at 2:30 p.m. CT. LSU’s video games can even be broadcast on the LSU Sports activities Radio Community together with LSUsports.internet/reside and within the LSU Sports activities Cellular Apps.

LSU guard Alexis Morris led the Tigers with 21 factors on 8-of-22 from the sphere and was the spark LSU wanted after capturing simply 21-percent within the opening quarter.

All-America ahead Angel Reese made historical past as soon as once more along with her thirty second double-double of the season, an SEC single-season report. She completed with 13 factors, hauled in 18 rebounds, and added 4 assists, three steals and two blocked photographs.

Miami’s Jasmyne Roberts led all gamers with 22 factors and likewise added seven boards. Miami did not make a 3 pointer, because the Canes went 0-15. Except for Roberts, no Canes participant had greater than 4 factors, as her teammates mixed for 8-of-37 capturing.

The primary 12 minutes of the competition was a wrestle offensively for each squads, which mixed for 8-of-39 capturing in a 10-10 recreation. Morris scored the one area objectives of the opening quarter for LSU and led her group with six factors.

Reese, LSU’s single-season report holder totally free throws made and tried, made 7-of-10 from the charity stripe halfway by the second quarter to present LSU an 18-14 benefit.

After Miami tied the sport at 18-18, consecutive baskets by LSU freshman ahead Sa’Myah Smith and a fast-break layup by Morris pressured a Miami timeout trailing 24-18 with 1:55 left within the half.

Led by Morris’ 10 factors and an 8-0 margin on the free-throw line, the Tigers maintained the six-point benefit at halftime, 26-20. Roberts almost doubled her season common with 16 of the Hurricanes’ 20 factors on 8-of-10 capturing earlier than halftime, as her teammates had been 2-of-18 from the sphere.

After an 0-for-9 begin, Reese’s first area purpose of the competition got here lower than a minute into the second half and gave LSU a 28-22 lead. Her second took place 4 minutes later and pushed the result in 32-23, as Miami was held with out a bucket for greater than 5 minutes. With out a area purpose within the closing 4:36 of the quarter, LSU was capable of lengthen its benefit on the line and led 38-27 with 10 minutes to play.

LSU continued to crush Miami on the defensive finish of the courtroom, because the Hurricanes missed nine-straight from the sphere and trailed 43-27 following Kateri Poole’s three pointer with 7:18 to play. It was the one made three of the sport for both group.

With a fast 8-0 run, shortly narrowed the deficit to 43-35 with 4:24 left within the fourth quarter. Reese picked up her fourth foul in a collision with Miami’s Lashae Dwyer with 3:58 to play, sending Dwyer out of the sport with an damage. Morris then broke the Tigers’ four-minute scoring drought with a layup, Reese added a brief jumper off an in-bounds go, and LaDazhia Williams broke away for a fast-break layup to present LSU an insurmountable lead with 1:41 to play.

A Miami timeout solely served to delay the Tigers’ net-cutting ceremony.

On its highway to the regional closing, third-seeded LSU defeated 14th-seeded Hawai’i (73-50) and No. 6-seed Michigan (66-42) on the Maravich Middle in Baton Rouge to advance to the Greenville 2 Area. On Friday, the Tigers survived 9 lead modifications and 6 tie scores within the second half to defeat No. 2-seeded Utah (66-63).

Miami (22-12), unranked to finish the common season and the sixth seed within the ACC Match in early March, earned an NCAA Elite 8 berth for the primary time in program historical past following victories over No. 9 seed Oklahoma State (62-61) and No. 1-seeded Indiana (70-68) in Bloomington, then No. 4-seeded Villanova right here in Greenville (70-65).