Flau'jae Johnson had 24 points and 12 rebounds, Angel Reese had her 26th double-double of the season, and LSU upset UCLA 78-69 in the Sweet 16 on Saturday to maintain its pursuit of a second consecutive national title
Reese fouled out late with 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Tigers, who closed with a 14-2 surge. Aneesah Morrow scored 17 and Mikaylah Williams 12.
In Monday night's Elite Eight regional final, LSU will face Iowa or Colorado.
UCLA, which ended 27-7, received 14 points and 17 rebounds from Lauren Betts. Bruins Kiki Rice scored 13 and Londynn Jones and Gabriela Jaquez 14 points.
LSU led by seven at halftime, but the Bruins nailed four of their next five 3-pointers after making two of their first 20.
An 11-2 surge led by Jones' 3-pointers gave UCLA the lead at 45-44, and the teams were even at 48 heading into the fourth quarter.
Despite trailing 67-64 with 2:46 left, the Tigers finished on a run.
Johnson hit two 3-pointers in the first half. LSU went up 25-18 after her spinning baseline drive and layup sparked an 8-0 run.
Before Jones' left-wing 3-pointer before halftime, the Bruins made one of 16 attempts from behind the arc. That stopped an 8-0 LSU run and trimmed a 10-point advantage to 34-27.
The game was played hours after The Washington Post published a much-anticipated story on LSU coach Kim Mulkey, which she had threatened legal action over as a “hit piece.” Instead, it was a biography that highlighted her career's pros and cons and described her as a colorful personality who “wears feathers almost as dramatically as she ruffles them.”
A colorful, multicolored shimmering pattern suit was her Saturday outfit.
Tigers hope to become the first repeat champion since UConn won four straight in 2016.
The Bruins have made 19 NCAA Tournaments and nine Sweet 16s, including three in the previous four. Only two regional finals have been reached.