The No. 2 LSU Tigers dominated the No. 7 Texas Tech Lady Raiders 101-47 in the second round of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Sunday. Senior guard Flau’jae Johnson scored 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting in her final game at Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
After the win, the decorated star was asked to reflect on her LSU career during her postgame press conference alongside head coach Kim Mulkey and junior guard Mikaylah Williams.
“You may have heard it, but [Mulkey] said that you’re one of those players that they’re not gonna even need your last name when they talk about you,” Andrew Greenstein of Louisiana Radio Network said. “Talking about [how] you’re going to go down in history as one of the greatest players in LSU history in any sport. How do you react to that? What does that mean to you when Coach Mulkey speaks about you in that way?”
Johnson responded, “It’s an honor. She’s been coaching like 100 years.”
The room broke out in laughter, and Johnson giggled as she turned to Mulkey and said, “I’m just kidding! I’m just playin’, I’m just playin’! Not that long. Not that long.”
“You just lost your starting job, sister,” Mulkey quipped.
After the laughter calmed down, Johnson answered the question seriously.
“Nah, but Coach Mulkey, she’s a vet, and she’s been doing this a long time, so to hear her say things like that, it’s amazing,” she said. “But, you know, I do have that first name, like, ‘Flau’jae’! And you’ve got, like, Beyoncé. You’ve got, like, Drake. You know what I’m saying? That’s a compliment. But I’m just thankful. I learned so much from Coach Mulkey. She really molded me into the player I am today, honestly. Me from my freshman year to now, my mental, that’s all a testament to Coach Mulkey.”
Johnson was a freshman on the 2022-23 LSU team starring Angel Reese that beat Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes to win the national championship. This season, Johnson was named to the All-SEC First Team. ESPN’s Michael Voepel projects Johnson to go at No. 5 overall to the Chicago Sky in the 2026 WNBA Draft, which would reunite her with Reese.
For now, Johnson and the Tigers will look to top No. 3 Duke in the Sweet 16 on Friday, March 27, at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California.
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