Morrow, Williams and LSU return to Elite Eight with 80-73 March Madness win over N.C. State

Aneesah Morrow had 30 points and 19 rebounds, Kailyn Gilbert had a critical block that set up Mikaylah Williams’ go-ahead layup with 1:07 remaining, and No. 3 seed LSU rallied past second-seeded N.C. State 80-73 in a tense women’s NCAA Tournament regional semifinal on Friday.

The Wolfpack led 69-64 with 4:29 left before LSU began to surge, led by Williams, who scored 10 points in the fourth quarter. After Gilbert blocked a layup attempt by N.C. State’s Zoe Brooks, Williams converted on the other end to make it 74-73 — part of a game-closing 10-0 run for the Tigers (31-5).

LSU, which won the national title two years ago for coach Kim Mulkey, reached the Elite Eight for the third consecutive season and will face either top-seeded UCLA or No. 5 Mississippi on Sunday. Mulkey also won three national titles at Baylor.

“I think all these close games, it benefits us to have been in them, but I don’t like them particularly,” Mulkey said. “I like to relax on the sideline and let (the players) relax, but you get to this level, there’s too many good teams.”

Sa’Myah Smith had 21 points and 11 rebounds for LSU, and Williams finished with 17 points and eight boards.

Brooks led N.C. State (28-7) with 21 points. Coach Wes Moore’s Wolfpack fell short in their bid to reach a second straight Final Four.

“It was the same problem we had with them back in November,” Moore said. “We just couldn’t keep them off the boards. And Morrow in particular, we knew she was going to be a handful, and she was, and we just had a hard time guarding her down there, keeping her off the glass.”

The game featured seven lead changes and four ties, and LSU’s 21-10 advantage in the first quarter was the biggest lead for either team. Morrow had 10 points in the first period.

N.C. State stormed back to take a 40-36 halftime lead, and Morrow again dominated in the third quarter, scoring 11 of her team’s 21 points in the period to put LSU ahead 57-53.

N.C. State opened the fourth quarter with an 8-1 run. The Wolfpack held LSU without a field goal until Morrow made a layup with just over seven minutes to play.

“Nobody likes to lose,” Morrow said. “I talked with my teammates in the huddle and I told them we got to take our matchups personal. We have to be able to dominate and we have to be able to make defensive stops.”

Double-doubles galore

Morrow, the nation’s top rebounder, had her 30th double-double of the season. Her effort on the boards helped the Tigers outrebound the Wolfpack 52-36, including an 18-10 advantage on the offensive glass.

The 6-foot-1 forward is one of two women in NCAA history with more than 100 double-doubles. She’s also the only player in the country with more than 600 points and 450 rebounds this season.

Flau’Jae’s fall

Tigers star Flau’Jae Johnson finished with a season-low three points on 1-of-8 shooting and sat for final five minutes after falling hard in a sprint for a loose ball. Johnson stayed on the ground for an extended period before she was was escorted to the sideline, where she was given eye drops.

Mulkey attempted to reinsert Johnson into the game, but after a quick word, the coach changed her mind.

“I was getting ready to put her back in the game and I turned around, they said they won’t let her go in the game because she was seeing double,” Mulkey said.

Mulkey said she anticipates Johnson will be “good to go” by Sunday.

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AP freelancer Cam McCann contributed to this report.

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