LSU were off to the races Friday and into both the second round and the record books before first-round opponent Jacksonville could even find its bearings at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The No. 2 Lady Tigers (28-5) blitzed to the first 14 points of the NCAA Tournament opener and a record-setting 34-point first quarter and 64 first half — program and SEC bests, respectively — on their way to the 116-58 defeat of the No. 15 Dolphins (24-9).
“We were itching — we were itching to play basketball,” junior guard Mikaylah Williams said. “I was so excited to come in here. Everybody was so excited. I don’t know if y’all could feel it on the court, but the energy was immaculate. And we just came in here trying to be disciplined, trying to share the ball, trying to get everybody involved, trying to get a lot of post touches, and I think we came in here and executed our game plan.”
LSU broke the 100-point mark for the 15th time this season, tying 1986-87 Long Beach State for the most in NCAA history, and received double-digit scoring from an NCAA Tournament record-tying seven different players.
The Lady Tigers have won at least a first-round NCAA Tournament game in each of coach Kim Mulkey’s five years in Baton Rouge and now await the winner of Friday’s matchup between No. 7 Texas Tech (25-7) and No. 10 Villanova (25-7) for a second-round contest Sunday.
Junior guard Mikaylah Williams (Parkway) recorded her fourth career double-double, including three in the past five games, with 18 points, a career-high 10 assists, five rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot.
And senior guard Flau’jae Johnson led all players with 20 points and also provided five rebounds, three steals and an assist.
“She’s my recruit,” Johnson beamed about Williams. “I take pride in that. But when Mikaylah gets going, it’s just easier for everybody. I always know she’s gonna hit that cross and hit that 3, so I’ll be ready. But I just think she plays with so much poise and she impacts the game in so many ways. When she’s coming out (hot), we’re a better team.”
But LSU got scoring punch from every direction with seven different players in double figures and nine in the scoring column.
Sophomore guard Jada Richard (Lafayette Christian) finished with 17 points, four assists, four steals, two rebounds and a blocked shot.
Freshman guard ZaKiya Johnson finished with 16 points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal.
And sophomore forward Kate Koval anchored the post of the starting lineup with 11 points, eight rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot.
Junior guard MiLaysia Fulwiley led the bench with 13 points, three blocked shots, two steals, two assists and a rebound.
Freshman forward Grace Knox scored 11 points and grabbed three rebounds and a steal, and freshman guard Bella Hines added nine points, a game-high and career-high 10 rebounds, two steals, two blocked shots and an assist.
Williams and ZaKiya Johnson led the hot start with six points each, plus a pair of free throws by Flau’jae Johnson. And eight different players had scored by the time the quarter buzzer sounded.
“Me coming out on fire was just excitement,” Williams said. “It was just excitement, and I’m glad it turned out that way. And just playing with (Johnson), we clicked as soon as I came on campus — even before that. We met at a camp, and the rest has been history. And I’m just extremely excited to continue finishing out this season with her, and I hope we end out on a bang.”
Thirty-four points set a new program record for most in any NCAA Tournament quarter and also marked the second-most in a first quarter this season (behind 36 Nov. 12 against Charlotte) and the eighth-most in any quarter during this high-scoring campaign.
Their 20-point advantage after the opening period tied for their seventh-largest in any game this season and most since 22 against Alabama State (17-15) on Dec. 28.
But LSU was just getting start as it continued rolling to an SEC-record 64 points at halftime and stretching its lead throughout the contest.
“What I’ve seen all season: We can score the ball,” quipped Mulkey during a halftime interview with ESPN in which she was more disappointed in allowing 36 points than impressed by the explosive offensive start.
Johnson quickly pointed after the game to that second quarter as a the shortcoming of a case for “a complete performance” Friday and said she knows those defensive corrections will be a focal point Saturday.
“That second quarter we gave up too many points,” she said. “We weren’t talking. We made too many mistakes, which we can’t do and we’ve got to clean up. I know (associate head) coach Bob (Starkey) is gonna clip that, and we’re gonna be able to talk through that tomorrow and flush it and let it go. Not a complete game, but it’s OK for the first round. You just know you’ve got to clean up those things game-by-game.”
The Lady Tigers responded with their best defensive quarter of the evening — holding Jacksonville to 12 points, nearly doubling their steal and block totals and turning one takeaway after another into easy and occasionally highlight-reel scores in transition.
LSU finished a stout 43-72 (59.7%) from the floor despite a spotty, 6-for-21 (28.6%) game from beyond the arc.
All nine players snatched steals, led by Richard’s four, and five blocked shots, led by Fulwiley’s three.
