Flau'jae Johnson on comeback victory over Middle Tennessee: 'I wasn't going home'

With 8:43 remaining in the third quarter on Sunday, LSU found itself facing a nine-point deficit. Middle Tennessee State extended its halftime lead to 41-32 at that point, and the Tigers had their backs squarely against the wall.

Then, they put their foot on the gas and never let up. LSU outscored Middle Tennessee 51-15 the rest of the way to pull off the come-from-behind, 83-56 victory to advance to the Sweet Sixteen of the Women’s NCAA Tournament.

If it seemed like LSU wasn’t ready for its season to end, it’s because that’s exactly how Flau’jae Johnson and the Tigers felt.

“I wasn’t going home, bro,” Johnson said after the game. “I put in too much work. Our team put in too much work. I’m so thankful, man. First of all, I want to thank God, Jesus, my Lord and savior. But I put in so much work, and I’m just a walking representation of that.”

Johnson had a huge day for LSU, scoring a team-high 21 points while also adding two blocks and a steal as she led the defensive turnaround in the second half. But her emotions showed when Kim Mulkey called a timeout with 8:20 to play in the third quarter, just as the Tigers were starting to claw their way back in.

Johnson’s message was simple.

“We’ve got to stay poised and stay together,” she said. “We’ve got to play together. I told them, if we don’t keep shooting one shot and they’re making a three, we’re not gonna win this game. I said we’ve got to play together. Let it go, let’s just play together. And look, we came out with the dub.”

Flau’jae Johnson: ‘It’s on me’ to help LSU stay calm

As for whether she or the Tigers felt any nerves as they faced a deficit, Johnson said that wasn’t the case. As a sophomore, she is stepping up as a leader for LSU after helping lead the program to a national championship a year ago. Some of those veterans, such as Alexis Morris and LaDazhia Williams, are gone – leaving a void.

That’s where Johnson, Angel Reese and others have to step up and stay the course when facing adversity.

“For me, we’ve been in situations like this last year,” Johnson said. “Last year, I was a freshman, and we had vets like Alexis Morris and LaDazhia Williams. So, the load was kind of off of me, and now, I feel like it’s on me now. So now, I’ve got to be the one to be like, ‘No, we’re good. Stay calm, stay poised, keep our composure.’

“Me and Angel Reese were on that team last year when we won the championship. So I’m just telling them, come on, we’ve got to keep that energy.”

LSU will now look to maintain the momentum into the Sweet Sixteen. The Tigers will now head to Albany for the Sweet Sixteen to take on the winner of UCLA vs. Creighton.