Flau’jae Johnson was the last remaining member of the LSU Tigers, who won the 2022-23 national championship. Her college career came to an end on Friday after the Tigers crashed out of the Sweet 16 against the Duke Blue Devils.
SEC’s Ole Miss Rebels head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin laid her shoulders out for Johnson, who suffered a disappointing exit on her way out. She commented on X:
“My heart hurts for Flau 😩”
Under the comments section, when one fan asked why such a reaction only for Johnson, the coach responded:
“Senior year Queen. Plus my relationship with her.”
In her final college basketball game, Johnson scored 13 points on 6 of 15 shooting from the field, including 0-for-2 from the 3-point line. She also had five rebounds in 30 minutes of action in the 87-85 loss.
Not only the Rebels’ head coach but even the Tigers’ head coach, Kim Mulkey, didn’t hold back in expressing what Flau’jae Johnson meant to the program. She has been full of praise for the senior and the contribution she has given over the years.
“She has two careers that she’s doing every day of her life,” Mulkey said. “Wakes up at 5. She spent four years at the same institution. The list goes on. … So much appreciation to her for being who she is. She has a joyous spirit about her. And she helped us win many ballgames. And she also won a championship.”
Flau’jae Johnson’s Final LSU Moments in Sweet 16 Game
It was a close game on Friday night with Flau’jae Johnson involved till the very last play on the floor.
With 5:11 remaining, the LSU exit was feared with Duke surging and taking a double-digit lead. Despite the writing on the wall, Johnson chose to go down fighting.
“(The mindset was) we’re not going to lose,” Johnson said. “We’re going to claw, we’re going to fight, the game’s not over. … We had been in that position before, and we folded. We were like, ‘We don’t want to do that no more, so let’s go,’ and that’s what we did.”
The Tigers clawed their way back into the game and even took a 3-point lead before Duke guard Ashlon Jackson’s 3-pointer went in at the buzzer, eliminating LSU from the NCAA Tournament. After the buzzer-beater, Johnson was heading back dejectedly. Only few could understand what she might be feeling because it was her job to defend Jackson’s shot. When the ball finally went in after rolling around the rim, Johnson doesn’t know if that taints her LSU legacy.
“I don’t know right now,” Johnson said. “I feel like I just let everybody down.”
Despite that, Johnson enjoyed a decorated career with LSU and now looks forward to the WNBA draft.
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