Flau'jae Johnson is Only Getting Better as LSU's Title Defense Continues
On Saturday, the No. 3 seed LSU Lady Tigers held off a late push from No. 2 seed UCLA Bruins for a 78-69 victory. The win secured a spot in the Elite Eight for LSU as the Lady Tigers march towards the Final Four and the opportunity to defend their championship title. It also served as a reminder that star guard Flau'jae Johnson is not only playing excellent basketball, but getting better with each passing game. The UCLA matchup was her best outing yet.
The 5-foot-10 sophomore had 24 points and 12 rebounds to go along with a pair of blocks and one steal. She was incredibly efficient, finishing 7-of-11 from the floor, and knocking down eight of her 10 free throw attempts. Most importantly, she was her typically dominant self on the defensive end and made her presence felt down the stretch of a close game. Johnson stuck to UCLA star Kiki Rice like glue in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. She also put the game away by blocking a jumper from Angela Dugalic with 14 seconds to go and LSU up by seven points.
It was an awesome showing from Johnson, who has gotten better with each round in this year's tournament. In LSU's First Round matchup against Rice, Johnson shot 55 percent from the field and put up 14 points to go along with four assists and three rebounds. In the Second Round, the reigning SEC Freshman of the Year recorded 21 points on 60 percent shooting against Middle Tennessee. All the while, Johnson was harassing the opposing team's top backcourt option.
Her offensive emergence has been huge for LSU. Everybody knew from the moment she stepped on the court last year that Johnson could defend among the best of them. Her tenacity on that end played a big role in the Lady Tigers' 2023 national championship run. The offense came and went, though. She averaged 11 points per game last season but shot only 42.4 percent from the floor and 33 percent from beyond the arc. Johnson clearly had a feel for the game, but her shot needed to come around before she could be considered a true threat offensively.
Well, that happened this season and Johnson has never looked better than she has over the last week. On the season, the guard upped her scoring average to 14.4 points per contest and increased her efficiency from the field (49.7 percent) and on attempts from deep (38.1 percent). In LSU's three tournament games so far, Johnson has averaged 19.6 points per game on 60 percent shooting overall and 50 percent from three-point land.
Angel Reese rightfully maintains her place as LSU's best all-around player and the face of the defending champs. But at this point, Johnson may be the Lady Tigers' most important player. When she's cooking offensively, like she was against UCLA, while playing her usual stingy defense, LSU is difficult to stop.
Johnson seems to be leveling up with each passing round of the tournament. At this pace the audience should be in store for quite the treat when she suits up again for LSU on Monday with a shot at the Final Four on the line.
Liam McKeone is an editor at The Big Lead.
