Ashlon Jackson’s last-shot 3 stunned LSU and etched its place in March Madness lore
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Ashlon Jackson’s 3-pointer at the buzzer kept Duke’s season alive and was the latest memorable March Madness buzzer-beater in the women’s NCAA Tournament over the last decade.
It may not have had the same magnitude as Morgan Williams’ shot for Mississippi State that ended UConn’s 111-game winning streak in the 2017 national semifinals or Arike Ogunbowale’s historic game-ending 3-pointers for Notre Dame in the Final Four and NCAA championship game a year later.
Still it’s a shot that Duke fans will remember for a long time as it lifted the third-seeded Blue Devils to an 87-85 win over No. 2 seed LSU on Friday night in the Sacramento 2 Regional.
“I’m very blessed in order to have that moment. It’s such a great feeling,” Jackson said. “Like I told my teammates, it really doesn’t even feel real right now. I feel like I’m on cloud nine. But to be in that conversation is really a blessing.”
Trailing by one with 2.6 seconds left, Jackson caught the ball on the wing and faked out LSU defender Flau’Jae Johnson before putting up the shot right in front of Duke’s bench. The shot rolled around the rim before dropping in, setting off a wild celebration.
“My teammates and my coaches, they trust me and they believe in me,” said Jackson, who missed six of her first seven 3-pointers in the game. “And whenever shots aren’t really falling for me, I can’t really hang my head. That’s just how the game goes. Every competitor knows that.”
Jackson said it was her first game-ending shot.
“Never had a game-winner. Plenty of buzzer-beaters before,” Jackson said. “The way it went in, I felt like I was in a dream and it was playing back over and over again before the ball went in.”
LSU coach Kim Mulkey has seen a lot in her long coaching career. She’s been on both sides of it.
“I’ve been doing this a long time. Lost a national championship with seven-tenths to go. Been in those situations before,” Mulkey said. “Heartbreaking for your team and your players and fans. Been around a long time and seen endings like that. Been a part of those endings. Takes a while to get over it.”
Duke doesn’t have much time to enjoy the win as the Blue Devils will face top-seeded UCLA in the Elite Eight of the Sacramento 2 Region on Sunday. The Bruins beat Minnesota in the other regional semifinal.
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