Coming off a big win over Florida State in the Round of 32, head coach Kim Mulkey and LSU women’s basketball will now make their way to Spokane, WA, to face off in a rematch game against NC State in this year’s Sweet 16.
Dominant 3rd quarter leads LSU women’s basketball to Round of 32 victory over Florida State
Coming off a dominant win against No. 14 San Diego State (25-10) in the Round of 64, LSU women’s basketball kept things rolling into the second round, having officially beaten No. 6 Florida State (24-9) Monday evening.
In many ways, it followed a similar path as we’ve seen all season long from the Tigers. We saw a dominant 20-point double-double, we saw a slew of assists, and most importantly, we saw a fast-paced offense that was all started on the defensive end of the court.
The only variation? It wasn’t exactly done by the usual bunch of stars.
“We talk about the big three at LSU (Aneesah Morrow, Flau’Jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams), and they deserve every bit of it,” Kim Mulkey said in Monday’s postgame press conference. “But I think they’ll quickly tell you, what else can you write about them? Start writing about the other five, the other six, because this weekend, they were special. Our bench was special, our entire team was special, it was electric in there for two days.”
Well, coach, here we are, writing about the other five or six, because you are right. LSU’s big five, or six, was truly special through two games of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, and they deserve all the credit in the world.
From junior forward Sa’Myah Smith dominating with a 20-point double-double, to sophomore guard Mjracle Sheppard snagging two steals, to freshman guard Jada Richard logging a much-needed six points off the bench, LSU needed a spark, and there was no shortage of players willing to provide.
Mikaylah Williams finished as the top scorer, logging 28 points in 23 minutes of action. Aneesah Morrow wasn’t far behind, reaching 26, and Flau’Jae Johnson continued to be an all-around star, as we have seen all season long. Still, when the Tigers found themselves in foul trouble early on, Sa’Myah Smith, Mjracle Sheppard and so many others were more than happy to step in, and thanks to that extra effort, the purple and gold are officially moving on to face No. 2 NC State (28-6) in the Sweet 16.
Sweet 16 matchup against NC State awaits the Tigers in Spokane, WA
While it’s been a few months, LSU women’s basketball notably has some experience facing off against ACC foe, NC State.
Last meeting up on November 27, 2024, the Tigers took on the Wolfpack in the Bahamas, and while it was undoubtedly a big game at the time, it wasn’t anything quite like what we’ll be seeing later this week in the Sweet 16.
In the first matchup between the pair, Kim Mulkey and the purple and gold ultimately came out on top by a score of 82-65, in a game where rebound margin turned out to be one of the biggest deciding factors.
Led by senior forward Aneesah Morrow, who tallied 15 boards on the day, LSU dominated down low from start to finish, totaling 44 rebounds, compared to NC State’s 24.
While the difference was significant at the time, don’t count the Wolfpack out yet heading into this week’s rematch. Starting off with freshman centers Tilda Trygger, and Lorena Awou, head coach Wes Moore has a much more experienced frontcourt than he did just a few months back. Fortunately, the same can be said for Kim Mulkey’s squad, as the Tigers have somehow only gotten better down low as the season has gone on.
“They beat some good teams in the ACC,” the Tiger head coach said when previewing the upcoming Sweet 16 matchup. “They’re probably much better today than they were when we played them, and I hope, and think that we’re much better.”
Outside of the fast-improving front court, the Wolfpack have no shortage of star power at the guard position. Since the end of the regular season, the play from Aziaha James, Madison Hayes, Saniya Rivers and Zoe Brooks has been as good as we’ve seen from anyone in the sport. On Monday, the four combined for a whopping 61 versus Michigan State, while totaling 58 on Saturday against Vermont.
“Great guard play. Great guard play,” Kim Mulkey continued.
Since that loss in the Bahamas, NC State has gone on a 24-3 run over the last four months. This is not the same team we saw face off against the purple and gold in November, and the Bayou Bengals will need their A-game if they have any plans of continuing their dance into the Elite Eight.
LSU women’s basketball is set to face off against the NC State Wolfpack on Friday, March 28, 2025, at Spokane Arena, Spokane, WA. The trio combined for a whopping 60 points on Monday versus Michigan State, and another
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