No. 3 LSU staves off No. 14 Jackson State's attempt at historic upset in dramatic NCAA Tournament game
Khayla Pointer came up big and spared LSU an even bigger upset.
With the game tied at 77 with less than a minute to play, Pointer made a 3-pointer and third-seeded LSU held on for an 83-77 victory over Jackson State. The Tigers avoided being the first No. 3 seed to lose in the first round, and also kept coach Kim Mulkey’s streak alive.
Mulkey has not lost a first-round game since her first season at Baylor, in 2001.
Jackson State was trailing by 17 when coach Tomekia Reed was called for a technical foul with 8:44 left in the third quarter. That sparked a 42-17 run by Jackson State, which led LSU by 10 points with just under five minutes to play.
That’s when Pointer took over.
She had an assist on a layup by Faustine Aifuwa, converted a three-point play and fed Jailin Cherry, who scored on a layup. Then came a bizarre sequence when Ryann Payne was whistled for delay of game. Because she’d been warned earlier, she was assessed a technical, her fifth foul of the game.
But Miya Crump missed both free throws. Pointer was fouled on LSU’s next possession and made both, giving LSU the lead with 2:44 left. It would never trail again.
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Jackson State would tie the game on a jumper by Daja Woodard, but Pointer made a 3 at the other end to seal it.
Pointer finished with a game-high 26 points and eight assists.