SPOKANE, Wash. — Flau’jae Johnson had a rough outing during LSU’s 80-73 Sweet 16 win against NC State, but despite shooting struggles and having to leave the court early because of an eye injury, she still made valuable contributions to her team.
“I think that’s just what a team is. Obviously, Flau’jae didn’t have her best shooting night, but she was still an amazing leader,” said Mikaylah Williams. “She still kept us together in the huddle. She told us what she saw on the sidelines. So even though she wasn’t there presently on the court, she was still there in our ear, still supporting us, still backing us up, and having our back.
“So I think that’s just a testament to the type of person that she is and also the type of team that we have and the type of chemistry and the bond that we have.”
Johnson went just 1 of 8 from the field, but she did also have five rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block on the stat sheet. She went down after a collision in the fourth quarter and headed to the bench with a look of pain on her face. A few minutes later it seemed she was about to check in, but instead she went back to the bench and had her eye looked at again.
“Can’t you just tape my eye open?” she asked while being visibly frustrated.
After the game, Mulkey gave more details on what happened when Johnson was instructed to head back to the athletic trainer. She also said that as far as she is aware, Johnson should not be missing any games.
“I just know I was getting ready to put her back in the game, and I turned around, and they said they won’t let her go back in the game because she’s seeing double, like double vision a little bit,” Mulkey said. “… They haven’t come up to me, you know, all worried or anything like that. So, yeah, I anticipate she will be good to go [for the Elite Eight].”
Despite an off night, Johnson has been one of the top scorers for LSU alongside Williams and Aneesah Morrow all season. Each of them is averaging around 18 points per game.
Morrow had a solid night with 30 points and 19 rebounds. She became the first player since Britney Griner in 2013 to reach those levels in an NCAA Tournament game. Griner was also coached by Mulkey at the time.
The LSU Lady Tigers will face the UCLA Bruins, the top overall seed, on Sunday.
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