Women's Fastbreak On SI

Fans Salute LSU Star Aneesah Morrow for Returning vs UCLA with Reported Broken Nose

LSU Tigers star Aneesah Morrow is showing a ton of toughness during her team's Elite Eight NCAA Tournament game against UCLA.

Grant Young

Nov 8, 2024; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Lady Tigers guard Aneesah Morrow (24) looks on against the Northwestern State Lady Demons during the first half at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Nov 8, 2024; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Lady Tigers guard Aneesah Morrow (24) looks on against the Northwestern State Lady Demons during the first half at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The LSU Tigers and UCLA Bruins women's basketball teams are battling it out for a chance to advance to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament on March 30.

Despite there being some bad blood brewing between these teams before the game, nothing extracurricular has occurred on the court. However, some blood appeared on the court at one point in the second half, which came from LSU star Aneesah Morrow's nose.

At one point in the contest, UCLA star Lauren Betts was jockeying for position in the paint by pushing her LSU defender Sa'Myah Smith backwards. The back of Smith's head rammed right into the nose of Aneesah Morrow, who was behind her.

Morrow fell to the ground and stayed there for a moment, suffering from a bloody nose. She then headed to the locker room before returning a few minutes later.

Upon Morrow's return, ESPN analyst Holly Rowe reported that Morrow suffered a broken nose during the play but would return to the game.

However, it came out after the game that Morrow hadn't actually broken her nose. Rowe made an X post explaining that she heard someone say Morrow's nose was "busted", which she took to mean broken. That was not the case, as was confirmed by Morrow postgame.

Fans on social media were showing Morrow respect for returning to the game despite this injury (which they thought was a broken nose at the time), especially since she isn't wearing any protective facial gear.

"what a baller," one X account wrote.

Another fan wrote, "Aneesah Morrow the dawg that you are!!"

"Definition of grit and toughness, because you couldn't catch me doing that!" wrote Sara Jane Gamelli.

Ultimately Morrow's display of toughness wasn't enough to propel LSU to a win, as UCLA defeated them by a score of 72-65. Regardless, Morrow still deserves a lot of respect for playing through this busted nose.

Recommended Reading:

Published |Modified
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

Home/News