LSU’s Sweet 16 opponent is officially set. The second-seeded LSU women’s basketball team will face third-seeded Duke in a rematch of its 93-77 win in December. The game will be played on Friday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California at a time to be announced.
“Playing Duke, if that’s who we end up playing, it’s hard to beat people twice,” head coach Kim Mulkey said after the Tigers’ 101-47 win over seventh-seeded Texas Tech on Sunday. “They’re better, I’m sure, and I think we’re better.”
Duke (26-8, 16-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) secured a convincing 69-46 win over sixth-seeded Baylor (28-8, 15-3 Big 12 Conference) in Sunday’s Round of 32 game.
In the victory, the Blue Devils held the Bears to just 16-of-53 shooting (30.2 percent). Duke also forced the Bears into 21 turnovers.
In LSU’s December win over Duke, the Tigers overcame an early 14-0 deficit before taking control for the remainder of the game. Junior guard MiLaysia Fulwiley provided a spark off the bench, finishing with 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting, along with five rebounds and three assists.
A key factor in LSU’s success in that matchup was its dominance on the boards, outrebounding Duke 35-24. Heading into the Sweet 16, LSU once again appears to have a favorable size advantage in the post.
Unlike the first matchup, this weekend’s showdown is expected to be much lower scoring. Both teams have found their rhythm defensively in recent games. LSU has allowed just 62.5 points per game since giving up 77 points on 50% shooting to Duke, while Duke has held opponents to 55.7 points per game since allowing LSU to score 93 points on 60% shooting.
