NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - SAN DIEGO STATE VS LSU

March 23, 2025

Aneesah Morrow

Flau'jae Johnson

Mikaylah Williams

Pete Maravich Assembly Center

LSU Tigers

Media Conference

Q. They have kind of a big three, as well. Y'all are the big three but they have a big three that also -- as being competitors, facing somebody like that, how much does it fire you up to kind of prove that you are the big three?

FLAU'JAE JOHNSON: First of all, we don't have to prove anything. You know, we're blessed to be three All-Americans on one team. That's not really heard of, ever. So we ain't really focused on that. We don't even focus on us as a big three. Our goal is not to be the big three.

Like I said the other day, we are trying to be the big eight. We are trying to get everybody else to buy in on another level.

But it's always dope to play great people, and you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. Obviously they have the leading scorer in the nation on their team. We just have to be us and we have to be solid.

ANEESAH MORROW: Definitely agree with that, coming in and trying to play our roles in the game every night and be as dominant as you can be. My goal is to go in there and dominate and I'm pretty sure their goal is to go in there and dominate and that's the whole team goal. I know the coaches did a great job with the scouting report this morning. We just sat down and watched that. So just preparing for that.

MIKAYLAH WILLIAMS: To piggyback off them, we don't have any exterior motivation. Everything is interior. We are motivated to dominate these games and even make it further than we did last year.

Q. What does Florida State in that scouting report, what do they do well?

FLAU'JAE JOHNSON: They are a great team. They can push the pace. Like I said, they long, athletic, play really well on defense.

You know, we are going to have to bring our A Game, of course. We don't look past anybody. It's kind of like last year -- well, not last year, like championship year, we play Hawai'i, you know what I'm saying, it was aight, and we played Michigan and they were a tougher opponent, you know what I'm saying. And last year we had Rice and Mississippi, them girls, Middle Tennessee.

So we know the play is going to be harder and it's a different team, different game. So you've really got to lock in on that scouting report and I think we're going to help everybody that's in our position on the details.

ANEESAH MORROW: I would say just from scouting report, just control the controllables. Don't turn the ball over. Take care of the ball. Rebound. Of course, execute our offense. When we can do that they are not able to get the transition points that they do very well at getting and also getting points off turnovers, as well.

MIKAYLAH WILLIAMS: They pretty much said it all. For us just really following the scouting report and executing it well in the game.

Q. Probably for the two guards. Who gets to defend Ta'Niya, and what do you think of that challenge? Can it be a one-on-one kind of deal or is it going to have to be a group effort?

MIKAYLAH WILLIAMS: Group effort. She requires five LSU players to guard her. Obviously Flau will start on her, but all five need to be ready to help and take those charges and be ready when they kicks the ball out. All five LSU players are going to have to be ready to guard her.

Q. What takes Ta'Niya so hard to defend. Can you speak to her game and how it's grown?

FLAU'JAE JOHNSON: I think she moves her body well. She's not the quickest player but she knows how to get to her spots. She's going to get that shot up, regardless, and I think she knows how to use they are body well.

So being -- and playing her in high school, I know she was a good defender, as well. So you know, in college, I wasn't really surprised to see her doing what she doing, especially on that team.

So no, she's a great player, and it's just like when we play great players in the past, you know, are we going to let -- because you can't stop a player like that. Obviously she's an elite scorer and nobody can stop her at this point, right. But it's like we can't let everybody else go off. We just kind of got to contain her.

Q. Is there a team that you guys faced earlier in the season that are similar to this team that you would compare, and how do you get ready to face them, especially in round two?

FLAU'JAE JOHNSON: I feel like they give me Kentucky vibes because they length --

MIKAYLAH WILLIAMS: Tennessee, they are long and athletic.

FLAU'JAE JOHNSON: We kind of learned how to play with length in Kentucky but you could see the first quarter, we were trying to figure it out, you know what I'm saying. I would say kind of vibe, as far as the length and athleticism, but definitely Tennessee, same pace.

Q. I saw you doing Criss Cross, Apple Sauce before a game; are you meditating, and can you tell us about locking in from that space and moving from that space to execute?

FLAU'JAE JOHNSON: When I'm meditating on the baseline I'm trying to visualize and be present. It's just a form of meditation to try to clear my mind.

I feel like I had a lot of time to just think about how I can be more present for my team and I was just asking a lot of staff, everybody, what do you do to be present because I'm trying to figure out how to get there.

Like Mikaylah said, we don't have exterior motivation. Like everything is inside. When you play like that against your competition, I just try to focus more and dial in.

Q. In the Kentucky game in the second half you took up a lot of the ball handling. What has allowed you to really add that to your game and do it more consistently now in the back half of the season?

MIKAYLAH WILLIAMS: I think, first off, just my teammates and the coaches pouring that confidence in me to be able to take up our game when I need to.

I think at that point in time we were going down, and I just didn't want to lose. I was just trying to do whatever I could to keep us in a game at that point because I know visually 'Nees and Flau and the rest of the team, they was going to come on. And the second half you saw that Flau came out smoking, 'Nees came out smoking. I'm just keeping us in the game so when they are ready to play now we're all guns blazing.

Q. How much fun was it last night to play such unselfish basketball?

MIKAYLAH WILLIAMS: I mean, that's the LSU type of basketball we try to play, just seeing that we are passing the ball and everybody is getting theirs, everybody is eating and making their shots. It's fun when you can keep the crowd involved. So it was really fun.

FLAU'JAE JOHNSON: I'm still watching the highlights, just this one play -- this is what we practiced, like. We practice it. I think everybody is just like, you can see the screen -- no, pass it there, you know what I'm saying. Just whoever take the best shot, whoever get the best shot. I just think it helps everybody.

It's not like -- and then it's like easier for us to beat teams because you can't just dial in and think, Oh no, she just going to come off the screen and take a shot. No, she might pass it; she might leg whip; she might corner. I think that makes us more dominant. I think it took all season for us to realize that but I feel like we understand it at the perfect time. I feel like everybody, just happy for each other.

Like everybody want everybody to win. You know you got to shout out players like Mjracle, players like KJ, Jada, Jersey coming off the bench, LiLi, Shay shooting the ball crazy. I think everybody is finding their role and their niche and we are just helping each other be great.

Q. How important is it for y'all to play with pace, and are y'all expecting kind of a track meet tomorrow night?

ANEESAH MORROW: Yeah, I would say it's very important. I always talk to them about controlling the tempo. Majority of the time, the team that controls the tempo win the game, when you able to dominate defensively or control how the ball is pushed in transition, as well.