ANESAH MORROW dominates, leading LSU beyond NC State and Elite Eight

Spokane, Wash.-LSU ridden in the Sweet 16 following a trip of 101 points against the State of Florida, with the offense of the ninth classified of the nation once again showing its firepower. The tigers met an equally offensive team in the NC state; Wolfpack’s guard Zoe Brooks called the victory of his team over Seminoles – a game in which Wolfpack scored 97 points – his favorite of the season.

An offensive explosion was expected and Anesah Morrow Superstar All-American was the one who brought it to the tigers. His 30 points and 19 rebounds were maximum game in both categories and his implacability maintained the LSU attached every time the NC state tried to detach himself, resulting in a victory of 80-73. Morrow’s reward is a return to Eight elite, the third consecutive journey to the regional finals for the tigers, all that have arrived as seed n. 3.

Up to the thread!

LSU survives against the state of the NC to claim a place in the eight elite. pic.twitter.com/zosskw1wrf

– The Athletic Wbb (@Thethleticwbb) March 29, 2025

Morrow goes off

Morrow was reflecting early on Thursday morning – at the bathroom sink while washing his teeth, of all places – how grateful to be here, at this moment.

His parents, he said, had sacrificed so much for his basketball career. If only he knew what he had in store for her.

While Morrow went down with the final rebound of the game-the nineteenth at night-he brought to the ball in the air in the middle of the field and started celebrating with his teammates while running towards the exultant section of the LSU.

The native of Chicago has lost 30-points points to the transport of those 19 rebounds-for its third double consecutive double of this tournament. He concluded 12 out of 25 from the field, hit two 3 episodes within one minute to the end of the first quarter and was the best player from the beginning to end on Friday evening.

NC State, anchored by his guards, knew that entering the game that Morrow would present a challenge, with the coach of the state of the NC Wes Moore who called her the “protagonist dog of the tigers. But it was clear from the beginning that Wolfpack would not have had enough answers for her.

Morrow scored 13 points in half time and scored 11 points in the third quarter before chipping in six others in the fourth. It has 56 points and 30 axes in its last two outings.

Smith Peaking at the right time

The second year striker of the Redshirt Sa’myah Smith entered Friday with an average of 6.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. But as Morrow on Thursday, when Smith “Eat (S) said, everyone eats (S)”. This was evident again on Friday.

Smith ended with a double double for the second consecutive game, scoring 21 points and going down with 11 rebounds. The 21 points came out of a performance of 20 points against Florida’s state in the second round and marks a new maximum season for the Tiger Center, which gives LSU another threat outside of Morrow, Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams.

If the UCLA exceeded Ole Miss later on Friday evening, Smith would probably be responsible for the Bruins Star Center Lauren Betts in a fun matchup with two of the best teams of the nation.

“We know this is what he is capable of,” Johnson said this week. “I think he now feels more confident, and that’s where we need her.”

Johnson’s slow night

Johnson, the top scorer of the tigers, entered on Friday with an average of 18.8 points per game. Just once this season he had been held at single figures: a 6 -point deal against Alabama at the end of February. But on a rare night out for the tiger star, Johnson scored only 3 points in 1 out of 8 shot. It became without a score in the first half, not collecting a bucket until it kissed an easy transition layup from the glass with about 6 and a half minutes to play in the third quarter.

But Johnson – on which Morrow joked on Thursday he has, well, more energy than most – was involved in other ways. He thrilled his teammates after great games, stabilized the tigers in their middle field offense and commanded a group that scored 42 points in the paint at 22 of NC State. The Junior Guard also closed with five rebounds and four assists.

This should give LSU greater trust.

The fact that the tigers carried out the work in a night in which Johnson has not been able to demonstrate that LSU is a team that could be able to win in different ways despite relying on its three greats for most of the season. Mulkey declared at the beginning of this week that although the NCAA tournament is generally seen as an event dominated by the guards, it was the versatility of the LSU that trusted it.

“We have an excellent game and we have always had an excellent game in the teams that I have trained over the years,” he said. “We feel like we had a balance.”

The elderly of the NC end with a low note, but the winning tradition of the program continue

It was not the best exit for none of Wolfpack’s Saniya degree rivers, Aziaha James and Madison Hayes. Hayes was in difficulty from the first quarter, James had 12 points (his total of lowest score from January) and Rivers was in hell trying to protect Morrow and keep it out of the glass.

But this is the same trio that brought the state of the NC to the Final Four in 2024 for the first time in 26 years and won the seventh championship of the program conference dating back to 1978. James and Hayes end their seventh and eighth career respectively, in total wins for Wolfpack, and Rivers is 10th in assistance and not

NC States six players who participated in the Sweet 16 matchup, including Zoe Brooks, Zareya Jones, Tilda Trygger and Maddie Cox, all which are basic men. Wes Moore will have another young group to model while trying to keep the Wolfpack in dispute.

(Photo: Alika Jenner / Getty Images)