With seven minutes left in the first quarter, Flau’jae Johnson came away with a steal. She turned it into a layup and blew a kiss to the student section.
“I just had to do me,” Johnson said.
Johnson returned to the floor Saturday night after not having played since Feb. 27. Saturday night, she helped LSU to a 103-48 win over San Diego State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The junior guard made her presence known as early as possible, knocking down a three to give the Tigers their first points. She finished with 22 points, shooting 9-of-15 (60%) from the field and 4-of-7 (57.1%) from three.
“I was nervous at first,” Johnson said. “But then I hit that three, got the steal. I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m back, I’m back for sure.”
She was also effective on the defensive end, totaling four steals on the night, two of which she took the distance for scores.
As they have all season, Mikaylah Williams and Aneesah Morrow were right there with her. Williams made three shots from behind the arc and finished with 13 points. She shot 4-of-7 (57.1%) from the field with five rebounds.
Morrow protected the paint, finishing with 12 points and 12 rebounds to notch another double-double. She also added three assists. Her double-double performance Saturday night makes her 28th of the season, which leads the country.
“I feel like I underperformed, honestly, I hold myself to a high standard,” Morrow said. “[I] feel like I could’ve done better focusing around the basket and finishing. [I] could’ve gotten more boards and actually got in the passing lane more as well.”
Johnson’s opening three was the first of several for LSU, as the Tigers shot 10-of-18 (55.6%) from behind the arc. Shayeann Day-Wilson gave LSU three more 3-pointers, and she finished with 11 points.
One guard, however, shined in a different way instead of from 3-point land.
For not having ever played in March Madness before, Mjracle Sheppard found her place quickly. She finished with 10 points on 4-of-4 (100%) shooting, two assists and a steal.
One of the Aztecs’ strengths going into Saturday night’s matchup was its guard play. Along with the offensive production from its guards, the Tigers’ perimeter defense prevented San Diego State from having any consistency on offense.
Aalyah Del Rosario added nine points and seven rebounds off the bench.
The Aztecs shot 18-of-56 (32.1%) from the field and 3-of-22 (13.6%) from three. LSU forced 19 turnovers from San Diego State. Adryana Quezada led the Aztecs with eight points.
“It’s just us really locking down and really keeping with our defensive principles,” Day-Wilson said. “I think we did a great job tonight.”
On the other hand, the Tigers shot 36-of-72 (50%) from the field and had just 11 turnovers. Along with knocking down shots from behind the arc, LSU’s guards drove into the paint and forced San Diego State’s post players to make a play.
Overall, the Tigers played the game they’re used to: fast, efficient and relatively consistent. LSU scored 15 fastbreak points and grabbed 36 defensive rebounds to put its offense in motion.
No. 6-seeded Florida State defeated No. 11-seeded George Mason 94-59 before the Tigers took the floor against the Aztecs.
The Seminoles play just as fast as LSU does. The two will go head-to-head in a win-or-go-home Monday night matchup at the PMAC in the Round of 32. The game will tip off at 5 p.m.
Florida State comes in with Ta’Niya Laston, who leads the country in scoring with 24.9 points per game. Against the Patriots, she led the Seminoles with 28 points while shooting 8-of-16 (50%) from the field.
“We need to be able to pack the paint,” Morrow said. “That’s where she likes to get a lot of her shots.”
So, just as the emphasis was placed on the Tigers’ guards on Saturday night, it will be again on Monday. This time, their task will be to contain a player that teams often struggle with.
“Obviously we have to make an emphasis on guarding her and guarding everybody else,” Williams said. “They’re really athletic and long, and they crash the boards hard. We have to do what we do.”
In March, however, all a team needs is momentum and confidence. LSU has both of those and is riding it into Monday.
“They’re a great team, but we’re a great team, too,” Day-Wilson said. “Come Monday, we’ll see who the better team is.”
