“Best Player for LSU”: Amid Hype Around Angel Reese vs Caitlin Clark Rivalry, Flau’Jae Johnson Gets Deserving Flowers from Fans

Published 04/01/2024, 9:46 PM EDT

Follow Us

USA Today via Reuters

The regional finals of the Albany 2 region lived up to the hype as two of the most prestigious programs locked horns. After headlining last year’s national championship game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Iowa and LSU came face to face yet again in this classic Elite Eight matchup. Notably, most eyes were expected to be on Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark and if they were going to show up for the night.

A scintillating exhibition from LSU’s sophomore guard Flau’jae Johnson, however, grabbed most of the attention. The 20-year-old put on a phenomenal show to keep LSU’s championship hopes alive. Sneaking past the Hawkeyes’ defense, the highlight of her game was an amazing jumper at the brink of half-time. While Angel Reese struggled to get going in the 2nd half, it was Johnson who put the team on her back and kept the Lady Tigers in the game.

The 20-year-old turned up the heat against a formidable Iowa. She ended up being the standout performer for LSU. In her 37 minutes on the hardwood, she scored 23 points along with grabbing 6 rebounds and 2 assists. In addition to this, she was 10 of 18 while shooting from the field and was successful in making both her free throws. However, she could only land 1 out of her 6 attempts from beyond the arc, but collected 3 blocks and 3 turnovers by the end of the night.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Following this, fans extended their admiration of social media.

Flau’Jae Johnson steals the show for LSU as Angel Reese struggles

LSU might have lost to Iowa. Still, the talented No.4 was able to turn quite a few heads. One fan termed her performance as ridiculously good. After she tied the score going into halftime with a beautiful spinning layup, a fan wrote, “Flau’jae Johnson is ridiculous.

Another spectator had some heartwarming words for Johnson as she described how crazy her aura is, writing, “Flau’jae Johnson has so much aura it’s crazy.”

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

As mentioned earlier, Reese failed to get going in the 2nd Half, which put all the onus on Johnson to keep the team in the game. Replying to a fan wishing for an Angel Reese takeover in the 4th quarter, one fan wrote, “Flau’Jae Johnson* She’s been by far the best player on the floor for LSU.” Another fan straight up got frustrated with the Bayou Barbie, writing, “It’s all up to Flau’jae Johnson at this point Reese is frustrated.”

One vigilant fan shared the points that Johnson scored in the pivotal third quarter. After the teams went into the locker room all square, the Hawkeyes stifled the LSU offense, only allowing them 13 points in the 3rd. A fan pointed out at the time how Johnson would be the Tigers’ key in the 4th.

One of the fans posted a controversial opinion that only Flau’jae and Angel Reese are stepping up and performing for LSU.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

 

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

The Lady Tigers may have lost this exciting battle but the tremendous fight they put in till the end is truly commendable. Moreover, Flau’Jae Johnson showed that she has the ability to perform in big-game situations. The fans will be looking forward to seeing more of her next season.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Shahryar Fazal

697Articles

One take at a time

Shahryar Fazal is a senior NBA writer at EssentiallySports. His specialisation lies in his scrupulous Live Coverage of the events like NCAA and WNBA tournaments. A former sportsman himself, Shahryar used to contribute stories for publishing houses like TOI before taking up American sports as his field of interest.
Show More>

Edited by:

Jayant Chhabra