With the NCAA finals just around the corner, the women’s basketball teams in the Elite Eight are now gearing up to compete for a spot in the Final Four. After defeating the Utah Utes in the Sweet 16, the LSU Tigers are all set to face the Miami Hurricanes on Sunday. In an attempt to boost the players’ spirit amid March Madness, Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant‘s widow Vanessa sent thoughtful gifts as a token of appreciation ahead of the big game.

This is the first time in over a decade that LSU secured a spot in the Elite Eight. The last time they were able to make such progress was in 2008 when the team entered the Final Four.

Vanessa Bryant makes LSU women’s day

Ahead of their game against the Miami Hurricanes, Vanessa Bryant gifted fresh pairs of kicks to the LSU Tigers. The 40-year-old philanthropist sent several boxes of Nike Kobe 6 in the ‘Grinch’ colorway to the entire women’s basketball team. A short clip of the young players unboxing their gifts and reacting to the new shoes was uploaded by the official Twitter account of the LSU Women’s basketball.

The clip showed the players cheering in excitement as they took a good look at their respective pairs and react in disbelief. The video concluded with the Tigers enthusiastically thanking Vanessa for the gift.

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Interestingly, Vanessa was not the only one whose attention the LSU Tigers were able to capture. Following their win against Utah, Rapper Lil Wayne took to Twitter to show his support for Tigers forward player Angele Reese and the team.

LSU claims victory over Utah

Fans rejoiced as the LSU Tigers defeated the Utah Utes and moved on to the Elite Eight for the first time in 15 years. Led by LaDazhia Williams who dropped a game-high 24 points and six rebounds, the Tigers scored 66 against the Utes’ 63. Williams successfully made 11 shots out of the 14 attempts. Teammate Angel Reese added 17 points and 12 rebounds to secure the win.

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Despite the loss, Utes guard Gianna Kneepkens put up an impressive game scoring 20 points and eight rebounds. Whereas, Isabel Palmer added 15 points, three rebounds, and three assists.

The LSU women will face the Miami Hurricanes on Sunday in the Elite Eight. Do you think they can go all the way? Let us know in the comments.