That was not the LSU team fans have grown accustomed to.
The Lady Tigers (20-12, 7-9 Southeastern Conference) came out fast early on and never surrendered their lead, as sophomore guard Danielle Ballard led the team to a season high in points and a 98-78 victory against Georgia Tech (20-12, 9-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) in the first round of the NCAA tournament Sunday in the PMAC.
“I think today this team showed a lot of toughness,” said LSU coach Nikki Caldwell. “They showed that they can play this game for 40 minutes.”
The 98 points scored are the most LSU has scored in an NCAA game in school history and most in any game since 2010. The scoring was well-rounded, as five different Lady Tigers reached double digits, and three scored at least 15 points.
The most astonishing aspect of the game came on the glass, as LSU outrebounded the Yellow Jackets 57-30. The Lady Tigers failed to outrebound their opponents in their last four games.
LSU scored the first 10 points of the game less than three minutes into the game. Ballard said the team saw in film it could push down the Yellow Jackets’ throats.
The Lady Tigers kept their lead though the start of the game with Georgia Tech struggling to get the ball to its all-time leading scorer, senior guard Tyaunna Marshall. Marshall only took one shot in the opening eight minutes of the game and said she wishes she had done more.
“Being a leader and someone who’s played in the NCAA tournament before, I definitely want to come out strong for my team,” Marshall said. “I wish I could have been more of a threat for my team in the opening minutes.”
The game continued its fast pace throughout the first half, with both teams combining for 74 shot attempts and the Lady Tigers taking a 51-44 lead into halftime.
Ballard was the main catalyst in the first half, recording 19 points and nine rebounds in the opening frame. Plaisance said the main reason for the Lady Tigers’ fast pace was Ballard and her ability to constantly push the ball up the floor.
The pace didn’t slow down in the second half, but Georgia Tech’s hot shooting did. The Yellow Jackets shot 30.2 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes, 21.3 percent worse than the team shot in the first half.
After a 3-pointer from junior guard DaShawn Harden put the Lady Tigers up 12, the game would never go to single digits deficit again.
The team did receive a scare in the second half when freshman guard Raigyne Moncrief went down with a knee injury. It was the first time Moncrief had started a game since injuring her leg in a Feb. 20 loss to Georgia.
Caldwell said she would have more information on the injury on Monday.
The Lady Tigers will play West Virginia next, who defeated Albany 76-61 Sunday afternoon in the PMAC. The game will be at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday night in the PMAC.
After Sunday’s game, Georgia Tech coach MaChelle Joseph said this was not the LSU team she had seen in film the last 10 games. Ballard agrees, and she’s proud to show off a new identity.
“This team is a different team. We’ve got a different mindset,” Ballard said. “We’re just going to look better, and we’re going to go harder and harder. We’re going to give our all win, lose or draw, and people are going to continue seeing a different team.”