LSU's Offense Can't Get Into Rhythm in NCAA Tournament Loss to Ohio State

It wasn’t quite the storybook ending Kim Mulkey and her No. 3 seed LSU Tigers may have hoped for after falling to No. 6 seed Ohio State, but this team defied the odds and battled until the very end.

Coming up short in their 79-64 loss in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament, this squad fought until the final buzzer to keep things interesting.

The three-point shooting of the Buckeyes from start to finish is what set the tone. Playing catch up for most of the game, LSU’s inability to get shots to fall is what held them back from making a run.

“We just couldn’t put the ball in the hole,” Khayla Pointer said following the loss. “We were still in the game but it puts so much pressure on your defense when you can’t score. Not only were we not scoring, but when we were scoring we were trading threes for twos.”

Starting the night going 4-of-20 from the field, the Tigers superstars continued to get the open looks they desired, but just couldn’t get into a rhythm. Getting the ball in the post to Faustine Aifuwa was the clear game plan for LSU, but despite giving up size down low, the Buckeyes never budged.

“We wanted to go inside,” Mulkey said. “And we did go inside and we missed point blank range shots but we kept going in there.”

The suffocating defense of Ohio State, forcing nine LSU turnovers in the first half, allowed them to widen the lead throughout the second quarter. With Jacy Sheldon racking up three steals in the first 20 minutes, the Buckeyes made sure to capitalize off of the Tigers mistakes, going into the break with a 34-26 lead.

Coming into the third quarter, it was all Ohio State. Keeping the hot shooting performance going and knocking down the three-ball, the Buckeyes widened their lead to 19 points with 4:29 remaining in the quarter.

To keep Khayla Pointer in check through three quarters and limiting her production gave Ohio State the ability to continue building onto their lead. Just an off night for Pointer through much of the game, the rest of this Tigers group couldn’t pick up the slack when needed.

A 20-point game going into the final frame, it was too little too late for the Tigers. With Pointer finally getting into a groove, totaling 21 second half points, the LSU defense just couldn’t slow down Jacy Sheldon. Hitting timely buckets over and over again while creating for others, Sheldon’s MVP-type performance is what put the Buckeyes over the top.

“She’s a threat from three for one thing,” Mulkey said of Sheldon. “Her ability to dribble penetrate and find open players is a threat. So, it’s kind of like how do you really defend her?”

Her sidekick, Taylor Mikesell, added 18 points of her own on 4-of-7 from three for the Buckeyes to keep this team rolling.

It was a tough day at the office for Mulkey’s group, shooting 25-of-68 (36%) from the field, but Pointer and this group didn’t give up until the very end. Totaling 32 points and four assists, Pointer’s shots down the stretch surely kept things interesting, but just wasn’t enough for this squad.

Free throw shooting woes and turnovers held the Lady Tigers back from cutting into the Buckeyes lead in the second half. Seemingly every time the Tigers made progress, a pair of missed free throws or a careless pass halted a potential run.

The historic 2021-22 season may have come to a close, but this new era of Lady Tigers basketball is just scratching the surface. With Mulkey at the helm, this program will have a championship or bust mentality for years to come.

“One of my most enjoyable years in my coaching career,” Mulkey said of her first year in Baton Rouge. “You can see the impact one program had on an entire university.”