Lsu Women’s Basketball: A Buzzer-Beater, Two Teams’ Stories and a Quiet Shift in Sacramento
lsu women’s basketball arrived in Sacramento for a Sweet 16 night that was decided by a single shot — Ashlon Jackson’s buzzer 3 that lifted Duke into the Elite Eight and left the Tigers to reckon with a game defined by late chaos and standout individual performances.
How did the final sequence unfold?
The game came down to a flurry of plays in the final 20 seconds that swung possession, free throws and momentum multiple times. MiLaysia Fulwiley created a steal and a runout but missed a contested layup. Flau’jae Johnson missed a follow, and Mikaylah Williams hustled for the rebound, drew a foul and calmly made two free throws to put LSU back on top. Moments later, Ashlon Jackson missed both free throws for Duke; the rebound went out of bounds and Duke challenged the call. With under 10 seconds to play Duke called a timeout, and Kara Lawson drew up the final looks. Taina Mair’s perimeter attempts had been lethal earlier — she had hit four 3-pointers — but her late attempts missed, the clock ticked and, on the final play, Ashlon Jackson found the corner and buried the 3 at the buzzer, sending Duke forward to face UCLA in the Elite Eight.
What did the stat lines and performances reveal?
Individual scoring was a clear through-line all night. MiLaysia Fulwiley led LSU with 28 points, and Mikaylah Williams added 22 for the Tigers. For Duke, Toby Fournier and Taina Mair each finished with 22 points, while Ashlon Jackson scored 19 and delivered the deciding shot. The sequence of misses, rebounds and free throws in the final minute underscored how tight the matchup was: hustle plays and composure at the line mattered as much as the set play that produced the buzzer-beater.
What does this mean for the teams and coaches?
lsu women’s basketball came into the regional semifinal with a program arc under head coach Kim Mulkey that included a strong run through the bracket; the Tigers had previously defeated Duke by nearly 20 points in December and had reached multiple consecutive Sweet 16 rounds. Duke, in its own arc under Kara Lawson, entered the game with defensive identity and a clutch finish — Lawson drew up late possessions that culminated in Jackson’s shot and has now guided the Blue Devils into the Elite Eight, where they will meet UCLA. The contest left both sides with tangible takeaways: LSU after a furious finish and Duke with the confidence of surviving a single-possession thriller.
Voices from the floor captured the human side of those moments. Mikaylah Williams, after a missed attempt by a teammate, told Flau’jae Johnson, “I got you, ” before retrieving the rebound and drawing the foul that sent her to the line. Observers watching the timeout sequences noted the coaching decisions at the end — the play calls, the use of challenges, and the sequencing of possessions — as decisive elements that shaped the outcome.
What comes next for both programs?
Duke advances to face UCLA in the Elite Eight. For LSU, the season will be parsed through these final plays: the missed free throws, the contested layup attempts, and the hustle that produced rebounds and turnovers. The Tigers’ staff and players will return to those sequences as teachable moments; the Blue Devils will carry the momentum of a last-second victory into their next matchup. The Sweet 16 stage that tipped off at 10: 12 p. m. ET in Sacramento produced exactly the drama the bracket seeks — a narrow escape and a sudden end.
Back on the court where the game swung on a single 3, the image of Ashlon Jackson’s shot will linger. For lsu women’s basketball, the season’s narrative now includes both the highs of strong individual performances and the blunt reality of a loss decided in the final heartbeat.
