Tigers make plays during winning time

For much of the season, the LSU women’s basketball team showed to be at its best in close games.

The Tigers’ stay in Spokane (Wash.) will continue through the weekend due to their ability to make plays down the stretch of tightly contested games.

LSU found itself trailing North Carolina State by three points with two minutes remaining in a NCAA tournament regional semifinal game Friday night.

All the Tigers did was score the final ten points which resulted in an 80-73 victory over the Wolfpack.

WATCH: LSU Kim Mulkey ADVANCE TO ELITE-8, win over NC State postgame

So, LSU will now play UCLA or Ole Miss in Sunday’s regional finals with the winner advancing to the Final Four.

The Tigers scored points on five possessions after a Zoe Brooks basket put them behind 73-70 at the two-minute mark of the fourth quarter. Field goals by Sa’Myah Smith and Mikaylah Williams gave LSU the lead for good.

Then, the Tigers protected the lead by going 6-of-6 at the foul line in the final 45 seconds – four free throws by Smith sandwiched around two free throws by Williams.

While doing its job on the offensive end of the floor, LSU was more spectacular when the Wolfpack had the ball. The Tigers came up with stops on each of North Carolina State’s last six possessions.

Kailyn Gilbert and Smith began the defensive surge with blocked shots. LSU also picked up a charge and forced the Wolfpack into three missed field goal attempts. There were spurts throughout the night when North Carolina State had little difficulty scoring.

In the second quarter, the Wolfpack outscored the Tigers by a dozen points to take a 40-36 lead into halftime. Then, over a nine-minute span during the third and fourth quarters, North Carolina State went on a 17-6 run to take a five-point lead.

However, the LSU defense limited the Wolfpack to eight points during the last six minutes – none in the final two minutes.

The Tigers defeated North Carolina State for the second time this season with Flau’Jae Johnson having little impact. Johnson missed seven of eight field goal attempts and scored only three points. She did contribute five rebounds and four assists.

Even though Johnson had an off night, LSU did have a Big Three which caused problems for the Wolfpack. Aneesah Morrow had 30 points and 19 rebounds, while Williams finished with 19 points.

However, the star of the night was Smith. The Tigers post player was on the floor for 40 minutes. She ended the game with 21 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks and two steals. That’s two straight outstanding performances from Smith.

Coach Kim Mulkey’s team is now heading to the Elite 8 – the place where its season came to an end a year ago with a loss to Iowa. This Tigers team has displayed the propensity to deliver winning plays in tight games.

Friday’s victory was LSU’s eighth in 11 games decided by seven points this season. Two of the three defeats came against Texas. The other loss was in overtime at Alabama.

North Carolina State, which was handily beaten by the Tigers four months ago, witnessed what they can do when pressure time arrives. LSU simply wants to have its game in the regional finals Sunday up for grabs at the end. That’s when these Tigers play their best.

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