While Duke Held Its Breath, Ashlon Jackson’s Buzzer Beater Sank LSU’s Season

SACRAMENTO — The ball touched every last inch of the rim. It rolled with a cruel, unhurried indifference. For a fraction of a second, it rested there, suspended between win and loss, joy and misery, one more game and a long flight home. And then it fell.

No. 3 seed Duke advanced to the Elite Eight over No. 2 LSU with a buzzer-beating three from Ashlon Jackson. The 87–85 win showcased the Blue Devils at their best—high-pressure defense, varying pace, tenacious guard play. It also showcased them at their worst—some baffling late execution with inconsistent presence inside and a few crucial missed free throws. They played much of this game like a group ready for the Final Four and some of it like a group not even ready for the Sweet 16. (And occasionally both in the same possession.) In the end, however, none of that mattered. What mattered was the corner three from Jackson as the clock expired.

“I felt like I was in a dream,” said Jackson, who had been 1-from-7 from deep on Friday before her buzzer beater. “And it was just playing back over and over again before the ball went in.”

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This is not how Duke likes to win. Under coach Kara Lawson, this squad has made its name on its defense, and it grinds out many of its wins slowly. The Blue Devils do not get themselves in many high-scoring, fast-paced shootouts, and they certainly do not get themselves in many close shootouts. Duke scored 85 or more points in five games this year. But all were blowout victories decided by more than 40. The Blue Devils had never scored like this in a game where they had no way to win except to score like this.

But this is March. Necessity works a little differently here. Duke came out with its trademark defense, and LSU was accordingly vexed, stumbling into traps and failing to score at its usual clip. “We just started real lethargic, for whatever reason,” Tigers coach Kim Mulkey said. “We didn’t play with a sense of urgency or energy.” LSU was down by five at the end of the first quarter and down by seven at the end of the first half. But this was not a matchup that could be won on defense alone. Duke knew it could not make this one a straightforward defensive slog. The Tigers are the highest-scoring team in Division I: No roster can score like this one. And even if they did not figure things out until the second half, even against a defense as stout as Duke’s, they would surely find their usual scoring touch.

In the second half, LSU was able to crack the pressure on the perimeter and begin repeatedly driving to the hoop. (The Tigers ultimately outscored the Blue Devils in the paint 52–38.) Here was the kind of offensive onslaught that has been standard for this group. LSU strung together enough meaningful possessions to make a run. Bench guard MiLaysia Fulwiley put on a remarkable show. (She would end the night leading all scorers with 28 points. Flau’jae Johnson, the senior who has stuck with this group for her entire college basketball career, battled through a maddening first half to unlock some more production in the second. LSU entered the fourth quarter down by just two.

Yet there was always an answer from Duke. Sophomore forward Toby Fournier did her work inside, finishing with 22 points, and senior guard Tania Mair worked outside to match her scoring output. The Blue Devils had an 11–0 run early in the fourth quarter. But they fumbled that down the stretch—allowing more damage in the paint and struggling with renewed defensive pressure from LSU. After leading by as many as nine with under four minutes to go, they found themselves clinging to a lead of a single point in the final minute, and they watched helplessly as Tigers junior Mikaylah Williams sank a pair of free throws to pull ahead by one with nine seconds remaining.

“Both teams played so hard. It was fitting it came down to the last possession,” Lawson said. “And there was no doubt who I was going to in that situation.”

Duke got two chances at this final play. The first shot was an ill-considered three by Mair. But the Blue Devils got the offensive rebound, a timeout, and a redo with 2.6 seconds remaining. There certainly may have been some doubt here for others. Jackson takes (and makes) the most threes of anyone on this team. Yet the senior had not enjoyed a particularly good shooting night, especially from deep, and she had just missed a pair of critical free throws shortly before this final play. But Jackson could only describe it as straightforward. Lawson had called her number. And despite scrambling, desperate, leaping defense from LSU’s Johnson, and a ball that rolled around the rim for what felt like an eternity, it was clear for Jackson. She answered.

“It was really simple in my mind,” Jackson said. “Just went. I really don’t know how else to explain it. It was just that simple.”

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