It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win — and no, we’re not just talking about LSU coach Kim Mulkey’s outfit.
Mulkey’s Tigers clinched 13 points and 18 rebounds from All-American Angel Reese and third-placed LSU beat an upset Miami 54-42 to advance to the Final Four.
It’s LSU’s first Final Four since 2008. From 2005 to 2008, the Tigers made five consecutive trips to the Final Four, each time losing in the national semifinals.
Helping LSU return to college basketball’s promised land is exactly why Mulkey went home. The Louisiana native, who returned to the state in 2021 to head the state’s flagship university, brought an impressive resume to Baton Rouge. In 21 seasons at Baylor, Mulkey appeared in four Final Fours and won three national titles. As a player at Louisiana Tech, she led the Lady Techsters to two national titles and four Final Fours.
The Tigers won 26 games last season when Mulkey, who is known for her fiery demeanor and glittery side outfits — she wore a slightly understated (to her) glittery tweed blazer on Sunday — was named Coach of the Year by the Associated Press became.
Mulkey changed her team this year with Reese, a standout player in Maryland for the past two years who has taken her game to another level at LSU. Reese had a double-double midway through the third quarter — her 32nd of the season, the nation’s best. Miami had no answer for her.
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LSU’s Jasmine Carson (2) wants to compete against Miami.
The Hurricanes were one of the feel-good stories of the tournament after coming off a 17-point deficit in their opening game against eighth-seeded Oklahoma State. They then stunned Indiana No. 1 on the Hoosiers’ home floor before sending Villanova and superstar Maddy Siegrist home to advance and play LSU. It was the program’s first Elite Eight appearance.
Guard Jasmyne Roberts led Miami with 22 Points, but it took her 20 shots to get there. No one else for the Hurricanes scored more than 4 points. The Tigers’ top scorer was Alexis Morris, who had 19.
LSU built a lead of as much as 16 points before Miami made a late push to reduce it to eight at 43-35. The Hurricanes kept the Tigers scoreless for more than four minutes but failed to capitalize at the other end.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LSU advances to NCAA Women’s Final Four after beating Miami
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