LSU’s season is over.
The No.3 seed Tigers suffered a 72-65 loss to the No.1 UCLA Bruins and Lauren Betts in Sunday’s regional final, dashing their hopes of winning a second national title in three years.
LSU were led by Flau’jae Johnson’s 28 points and four assists despite her injury issues.
Johnson, who will turn 22 in November, has become LSU’s big star in the wake of Angel Reese transitioning to the WNBA, but now faces fresh uncertainty over her own future with the progam.
The junior is eligible to enter this year’s WNBA draft despite not having completed a full four college seasons.
However, she has not yet made her decision and said she’d consider ‘everything’ when making the final call.
“Got to talk to Coach [Kim] Mulkey, talk to my family. I don’t know,” she said Sunday.
Speaking to reporters after the Elite Eight defeat to UCLA, Johnson, who had four costly turnovers in the game, added: “First I just want to thank God.
“I feel like this season I went through so much and I really overcame a lot.
“The number one thing is my relationship with God. It got so much better because that’s who I ran to when stuff got hard.
Johnson started crying and wiped the tears away. LSU head coach Kim Mulkey consoled her by putting her arm on her.
“I was able to open up to my teammates,” Johnson went on.
“I was able to open up to Coach Mulkey, and I feel like I became a better person. And I really became a leader, and that’s who I am at heart.
“And I want to continue to be a better person. We had success, we made history. I have sisters for life
“There’s a lot to be learned from this. Definitely going to sit back and learn, but gaining so much perspective from this year was beautiful.
“I don’t know. A lot of my turnovers, I don’t think they did anything; they were unforced,” Flau’Jae Johnson pointed out, reflecting on her performance.
“It was on me, but I made bad decisions. I didn’t pass it at the right time. Of course, they got length and all of that. But on my end, I feel like it was some unforced turnovers that weren’t necessary.”
“I mean, I did leave it all on the court, but it was too late, and it just doesn’t matter,” Johnson added.
March Madness Top Stories
Ranking the greatest players in NCAA men’s March Madness history – from Michael Jordan to Magic Johnson
‘This sister is special’ – Stephen A. Smith identifies rising star who can challenge Caitlin Clark’s WNBA dominance
March Madness legends who are still balling in NBA today – from Steph Curry to Ja Morant
NCAA March Madness is bigger and better than the College Football Playoff – the springtime phenomenon is bigger than ever
Biggest March Madness upsets in history of NCAA Tournament – top seeds humiliated as small schools enjoy their moment
“Should have did it earlier. Should have executed better. I feel like it’s all on me. I can take that because I know I went to another level, and I gave more than I thought I had. I’ve got to be more in attack mode. That’s my fault. Being too passive, I’m done with that.”
Johnson has spent three seasons at LSU and won the national championship as a freshman in 2023.
For the 2024-25 season, she averaged 18.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game and was named a third-team All-American by the Associated Press and the USBWA.
Mulkey was full of praise for Johnson after the Bruins defeat, which could well be her final game at LSU.
“Well, I remember when I took the LSU job, Flau’jae Johnson was the first McDonald’s All-American that I signed at LSU,” Mulkey said.
“I had not coached and won anything at LSU, and she came to LSU. So she jump-started our program, really. And then the portal helped us. We brought in Angel and lots of other players.
“But Flau’jae was a high school All-American and we got her. So I’m forever indebted to Flau’jae Johnson. I think she told you – the game was lost in the second quarter. That’s where the game was lost. We didn’t capitalize on [Lauren] Betts being off the floor. And she feels like she was a big part of that not having played up to what she – her standards are for herself in the second quarter.
“In the third and fourth quarter, I think she really, really tried. That’s what All-Americans do. They just try to figure out some way to impact the game, and she did. She did.”
How to watch March Madness in the UK
*If you click a link in this box we will earn affiliate revenue
March Madness is one of the most exciting times of the year for basketball fans, with a total of 68 teams battling it out to become the Division 1 college champions.
This year UConn have the chance to become only the second team ever to complete a March Madness three-peat, having emerged victorious for the last two years.
talkSPORT will have the latest news on the tournament, but for UK basketball fans the way to watch is through Sky Sports. The broadcaster will be showing EVERY March Madness game through their Sky Sports + streaming service.
Click here to sign up to a Sky Sports subscription, or read our article on the best Sky Sports deals available now.
