An assist for LSU comes from an unlikely source in the Final Four — a cheerleader

Only seconds into LSU’s Final Four game against Virginia Tech on Friday, an assist came from an unlikely source.

An LSU cheerleader.

Virginia Tech point guard Cayla King put up a 3-point shot in the corner, but it was waved off because she had stepped out of bounds. When the shot went up, it didn’t go through the net; instead, it got stuck behind the glass.

With help from a male cheerleader who balanced her on his hands, a Tiger cheerleader tipped the ball onto the court at American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Just a minute in, we already have an LSU cheerleader coming to the rescue. pic.twitter.com/VkmBly6Dzc

— Lia Assimakopoulos (@Lassimak) March 31, 2023

“What were the odds of that happening in the first 33 seconds of the national semifinal?” ESPN commentator Rebecca Lobo asked.

It wasn’t the first time we’ve seen something like this. In the first round of last year’s NCAA men’s tournament, an Indiana cheerleader rescued a stuck basketball between the backboard and the shot clock.

A male cheerleader hoisted his female counterpart, who knocked the ball out, prompting the arena in Portland, Oregon, to erupt with cheers.