"I don't know who's lying": Aneesah Morrow clears the air on injury status after UCLA stunned LSU in Elite Eight

Aneesah Morrow addressed speculation about her injury status during the postgame press conference following a gripping Elite Eight showdown where UCLA triumphed over LSU. Amidst concerns over a potential broken nose sustained during the game, Morrow refuted the claim.

A reporter inquired about the specifics of the play in which the injury occurred, saying they heard reports during the broadcast that she had broken her nose, and what motivated her to return to the game.

"I don't know who's lying and saying that I broke my nose," Morrow said (at 1:44). "My nose was bleeding, but I'm tough, and I'm going to go out there and compete with my teammates. I'm going to try to do everything that I can."

Aneesah Morrow, a 6-foot-1 senior who is the team's leading scorer and rebounder, was hurt late in the third quarter when she took an inadvertent hit to the face after colliding with teammate Sa'Myah Smith.

ESPN's Holly Rowe initially reported that Morrow broke her nose as she was bleeding and went back to the locker room, holding a towel to her face.

"I can confirm she has broken her nose," Rowe said during her report. "She is going to tough it out right now. The swelling has already started, but she is not going to let her team down in this moment."

However, Morrow returned to the game in the fourth quarter without wearing any protective gear on her face. She finished with 15 points and seven rebounds as LSU lost to UCLA 72-65.

Aneesah Morrow gets emotional reflecting on her four-year college career at LSU

It was not the ending that Aneesah Morrow envisioned for her career, but the Chicago native forward showed a lot of pride during the postgame press conference when she reflected on her time in Baton Rouge.

"Coach Mulkey challenged me to be a better person, to be a better player, and she challenged me to be able to make it in the real world," Morrow said with tears in her eyes. "She keeps it real with you. She shows you how it is, and I'm honestly just grateful for that."

Morrow also thanked her teammates for welcoming her with open arms after she transferred from DePaul. She said that the LSU locker room became her family, and she needed that because she was away from her family back home.

Morrow averaged 18.7 points, 13.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game this season.