Ashlon Jackson’s buzzer-beating 3 sends Duke past LSU 87-85 in the Sweet 16 of March Madness

By Canadian Press on March 27, 2026.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Ashlon Jackson’s 3-pointer at the buzzer lifted third-seeded Duke to an 87-85 win over No. 2 seed LSU in the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Friday night.

Jackson’s shot from the wing right in front of Duke’s bench rolled around the rim before dropping in, setting off a wild celebration by the Blue Devils. She caught the ball on the wing and after faking LSU defender Flau’Jae Johnson put up the shot.

Duke (27-8) will face top-seeded UCLA in the Elite Eight of Sacramento 2 Region on Sunday. The Bruins beat Minnesota in the other regional semifinal.

LSU (29-6) had rallied from an 11-point deficit to go ahead on two free throws by Mikaylah Williams with 9.2 seconds left.

Taina Mair missed a 3-pointer from the corner with 5 seconds left. The ball went out of bounds off an LSU player with 2.6 seconds left, setting up the fantastic finish.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Doug Feinberg, The Associated Press