Ashlon Jackson etched her name in Duke basketball history today. The Blue Devils faced the LSU Tigers in the Sweet 16 matchup, and seconds before the final buzzer, it seemed like LSU was going to advance to the Elite Eight.
Duke was in the lead throughout most parts. They were leading 47-40 at halftime and had a two-point lead going into the fourth quarter, but in the final minutes, LSU bounced back and stood ahead of the Blue Devils.
With 2.6 seconds left in the game, the Tigers were 85-84, and that’s when Jackson made a dramatic buzzer beater to help her team advance to the Elite Eight. After receiving an inbound pass from Jordan Wood, Jackson did a step back pump fake and hit arguably the biggest three pointer of her career.
The ball circled around the rim before going in, adding some extra drama to the nerve-wracking final few seconds of the game. After securing a win with her clutch shot, Jackson talked to ESPN for her on-court interview.
She was asked about coach Kara Lawson drawing up a play for the final sequence of the night and whether that plan was executed. Jackson hesitated in spilling the beans initially.
“Honestly, I can’t really spill the beans, but yeah, sure,” she said. “It was a great call by her and my teammates just executed well and I’m just really glad that they trusted me that much in order to take that shot.”
Jackson finished the game with 19 points, shooting 6 of 14 from the field, with two rebounds, five assists, and a steal. This is one of the examples of how a scorecard doesn’t tell the full story because Jackson’s last-second heroic is the reason why the Duke Blue Devils are now in the Elite Eight.
Ashlon Jackson Overcame a Setback
It’s outrageous to even say it, considering what she did on the final play, but Jackson wasn’t on her best shooting spree today. She shot 6 of 14 from the field, 2 of 8 from the distance, and 5 of 8 from the charity stripe.
Moments before her buzzer beater, Jackson missed two free throws. When asked how she managed to keep her composure and make the game winning shot, she said that she couldn’t afford to let the missed free throws drag her down.
“I can’t hang my head for anything,” she said. “If I would’ve folded right then and there, then we wouldn’t be here.”
She thanked her coach and her teammates for believing in her, even when the clock was running out, and she had to make a clutch shot to take her team to the next round.
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