EUGENE, Ore. — Neither the top-seeded LSU women’s basketball team nor the 16th-seeded Southwest Texas Bobcats “shocked the world” late Saturday night. However, the Lady Tigers won their sixth-straight NCAA Tournament first-round game, 86-50, and advanced to Monday’s 8:30 p.m. PST second-round contest against Wisconsin-Green Bay.
The game ended at 11:20 local time and 1:20 a.m. in Baton Rouge.
LSU and No. 8 seed UW-Green Bay, 78-65 winners over No. 9 seed Washington, will meet for the first time in school history with identical 28-3 records.
With the win, LSU improved to 14-12 in 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, including 6-2 in the first round. The Lady Tigers are a No. 1 seed for the first time.
Southwest Texas (18-14) fell to 0-2 all-time in NCAA play.
The Lady Tigers, who shot better than 65 percent in the first half, finished 30 of 51 for 58.8 percent. LSU made 24-of-27 free throws, while SWT was only 3-of-6. LSU beat Southwest Texas for the second time this season (91-40 on Dec. 21, 2002).
Forward Roneeka Hodges came off the bench to lead the Lady Tigers with 16 points, while All-SEC forward Aiysha Smith added 15 and a team-high seven rebounds.
SEC Freshman of the Year Seimone Augustus scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting and grabbed four rebounds. Point guard Temeka Johnson continued to guide the Lady Tigers to success, as the 5-3 New Orleans native scored 10 points, dished five assists and pulled down five rebounds.
DeTrina White and Crystal White came off the bench to combine for 16 points.
The Bobcats shot 38.3 percent from the field (23 of 60), but LSU’s pressure defense turned into several fast-break layups or free throws.
The Bobcats were led by Southland Conference Player of the Year Tori Talbert who had 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting and completed her seventh-straight double double with 11 rebounds.
In line with their regular-season stats, Talbert was the only Bobcat in double figures scoring. Julie Brooks and Sarah Dodds finished with eight points each.
The Bobcats were able to hang with the Lady Tigers early on, as Brooks scored five points in the first four minutes to stay within one point, 10-9.
However, the Lady Tigers quickly distanced themselves coming out of the 15:45 media timeout by going on a 18-4 run that included an incredible three-point play off a fast-break layup by Augustus.
Leading 19-13, the National Freshman of the Year candidate received a length-of-the-court pass from Roneeka Hodges at the free throw line and made a one-handed kiss off the glass with Southwest Texas’ Johnson cutting her legs from beneath her. Augustus shook off a hasty meeting with the goal’s upright to make the free throw.
LSU made 10 of 13 shots to open the game and led 28-13 with 10:33 to play in the half.
The Lady Tigers’ run extended the 27-8 when Johnson sliced through all five Bobcat defenders in a set offense for an uncontested layup and a 37-17 lead at the 4:53 mark.
LSU led 47-25 at the half — their largest led of the first 20 minutes — on 65.4 percent shooting from the field and 13 of 16 from the free throw line. In a Dec. 21 victory over SWT, the Lady Tigers led 61-25 at the half on 69.2 percent from the field.
Ke-Ke Tardy scored four points and Doneeka Hodges hit a three-pointer from the right wing to boost the Lady Tigers to a 9-4 run to open the second half.
The Lady Tigers opened a 66-35 lead on a perfectly executed three-on-one fast-break layup by Doneeka Hodges. Roneeka Hodges took a no-look pass from Kisha James on the right side of the lane and dished to her twin sister, Doneeka, who was in perfect position for the easy layup.
A 12-4 run by LSU upped the lead to 80-44 with less than four minutes to play, as Crystal White and DeTrina White were dominant in the paint.
Attendance for Saturday’s contest was 3,019.
Game 1:
(8) Wisconsin-Green Bay (28-3) def. (9) Washington (22-8), 78-65
EUGENE, Ore. — Eighth-seeded Wisconsin-Green Bay held ninth-seeded Washington to 38.1 percent shooting to win their first NCAA Tournament game in school history and advance to the second round, 78-65, on Saturday night at McArthur Court.
The Phoenix (28-3) will face the winner of top-seeded LSU and 16th-seeded Southwest Texas in Monday’s second round at a time to be determined. Washington’s season came to an end with a 22-8 overall record.
UW-Green Bay made 25-of-51 field goals for 49 percent and added 22 of 24 from the free throw line to rise above the Huskies.
Five Phoenix were in double figures scoring, including Abby Scharlow with 15, Chandra Johnson with 13, Kristy Loiselle and Elizabeth Dudley with 12 each, and Natalie Yudt with 11.
Pac-10 Player of the Year Giuliana Mendiola paced the Huskies with 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting and five assists. Center Kellie Dalan added 14 points and nine rebounds, while Kristen O’Neill had 12 points. The eight other Huskies who saw actions combined for 17 points on 6-of-30 shooting.
The Phoenix made seven of their first 10 shots from the field to take an early 16-6 advantage over the Huskies at the 13:47 mark of the first half, forcing Washington coach June Daugherty to call a 30-second timeout before the game got out of hand.
Washington battled back within two with a 10-2 run, as UW-Green Bay went away from its post play that had afforded it the lead en lieu of three-point shooting.
After making their first attempt to start the game, the Phoenix missed seven straight from beyond the arc, but jumped back ahead by eight, 24-16, with six minutes left in the fast-paced half.
A pair of free throws by UW-Green Bay’s Sara Boyer tied the Phoenix’ largest lead, 30-20, with less than three minutes to play until halftime.
With 13 free throws in 14 attempts, UW-Green Bay led 36-29 at the half, holding Washington to 32.4 percent shooting in the half including 1-of-9 from three-point range.
Washington scored the first five points of the second half to get within a basket, 36-34, however, UW-Green Bay answered with field goals in three-straight trips down the court and a three-pointer by Kristy Loiselle to regain a 45-36 advantage at the 15-minute mark.
The Huskies mounted a 11-5 run to whittle the Phoenix lead to one, 50-49, with 11 minutes to play. Again, the Phoenix responded with a three-pointer by Loiselle and two layups by Tiffany Mor to go ahead 57-49 with 9:11 to play.
Green Bay took its largest lead, 64-51, with just less than six minutes to play.
Washington got no closer than nine points for the remainder of the game to advance to face the winner of LSU and Southwest Texas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.