"Great job beautiful": Flau'jae Johnson's mom Kia showers praise on Aneesah Morrow after performance vs. NC State  

Aneesah Morrow put up an impressive performance for LSU in its 80–73 victory over NC State. The Tigers have now secured a place in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Championship. After Morrow’s 30-point outing, Flau’jae Johnson’s mom, Kia, showered praise on the forward on social media.

On Friday, Brooks hyped up Morrow on her Instagram stories after her performance proved pivotal for LSU. Morrow dropped a double-double (30 points, 19 rebounds). Brooks reposted a graphic highlighting Morrow’s impressive stats and captioned it:

“Please stop playing with her now!! She’s a pro, great job beautiful. @aneesahmorrow24.”

Flau'jae Johnson's mom Kia showers praise on Aneesah Morrow's performance after vs. NC State clash - Image source: Instagram/kiajbrooks

Aneesah Morrow’s dominant display on the court re-emphasized her importance on the Tigers squad, after averaging 18.8 points, 13.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 49.4% this season. During this postseason, Morrow averaged 22.7 ppg and 14 rpg for LSU while 20 points or more in 16 games for the Tigers this season.

Morrow’s double-double against N.C State also made it her 30th double-double of the season with the Tigers. The forward is one of two women in NCAA history to put up more than 100 double-doubles. Morrow is also the only player in the country with more than 600 points and 450 rebounds this season.

Kia Brooks’ reaction echoed the reaction of LSU fans to Morrow’s rise in just her second season with the Tigers after her transfer from DePaul Blue Demons in 2023.

Aneesah Morrow and LSU return to Elite Eight after March Madness win over N.C. State

Aneesah Morrow put up a game-high 30 points and 19 rebounds as No. 3 seed LSU surged past second-seeded N.C. State 80–73 in a close NCAA Tournament regional semifinal on Friday. LSU won the national tournament two years ago with coach Kim Mulkey and has reached the Elite Eight for the third consecutive season, with the Tigers set to play against No. 1 seed UCLA on Sunday.

Sa’Myah Smith provided 21 points and 11 rebounds for LSU as Mikaylah Williams finished with 17 points and eight rebounds. N.C State led 69–64 with 4:29 left before LSU began their comeback, as Williams scored 10 points in the fourth quarter.

After Kailyn Gilbert blocked a layup attempt from N.C. State’s Zoe Brooks, Williams converted on the offense to make it 74–73. LSU then went on a 10-0 run to finish the game.

NCAA Womens Basketball: NCAA Tournament Spokane Regional-LSU vs NC State - Source: Image via Imagn

LSU outscored N.C State in the paint 42–22 as there were seven lead changes, with LSU’s 21–10 advantage in the first quarter, the largest lead. N.C. State stormed back to take a 40–36 halftime lead, as Morrow again dominated in the third quarter, scoring 11 of the Tigers’ 21 points to put LSU ahead 57–53.

N.C. State went on an 8-1 run to open the fourth quarter. It held LSU without a field goal until Morrow made a layup with just over seven minutes to play.

“Nobody likes to lose,” Morrow said. “I talked with my teammates in the huddle and I told them we got to take our matchups personal. We have to be able to dominate and we have to be able to make defensive stops.

Morrow’s effort on the boards helped the Tigers out-rebound N.C State 52–36, including an 18-10 advantage on the offensive glass.