By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
The second-seeded LSU women’s basketball team set several program records in its 116-58 win over 15th-seeded Jacksonville on Friday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
One of those records was LSU’s 116 points, the most scored in program history in an NCAA Tournament game, breaking last year’s mark of 103 against San Diego State.
The Tigers’ offense was nearly unstoppable, shooting 43-of-72 from the field (59.7%). While most will focus on the offensive numbers, the big shooting night was made possible by LSU’s activity on the defensive end of the floor.
LSU (28–5, 12–4 Southeastern Conference) recorded a program-record 18 steals in an NCAA Tournament game and forced the Dolphins into 28 turnovers.
#LSU’s 18 steals tonight against Jacksonville were the most in program history in an NCAA Tournament game.
— Andre Champagne (@andrechampagnee) March 21, 2026
The previous record was 17 in 2006.
Head coach Kim Mulkey, who lists “playing exceptional defense” as one of her 10 steps to victory, wants her team to continue making every point against the Tigers difficult.
“Make the shots that they make hard. Just play defense,” Mulkey said after the win. “When you get on down this road, guys, it’s gonna get tougher, and you hope that your defense, you hope that your rebounding can help you when you’re not scoring 100 points or whatever we did, you know, 15 times this year.”
Mulkey believes LSU’s ability to hold teams to just one shot per possession allows the team to thrive on the offensive end. It is well known that teams with more possessions per game tend to come out on top, and LSU’s ability to turn defense into offense is another aspect that should not go unnoticed.
LSU scored 38 points off Jacksonville’s 28 turnovers on Friday, accounting for approximately 32% of its total points.
“I think it’s athleticism,” Mulkey said. “You better get on and move when (MiLaysia) Fulwiley is in that ball game. We’re going to push the ball up the floor.”
The Tigers did just that on Friday, scoring 29 transition points fueled by productive defensive possessions. Senior guard Flau’jae Johnson said pushing the pace is one of the team’s strengths and identities.
“If you can put the ball in the hoop, you know what I’m saying, you can run the floor, you’re going to love playing here,” Johnson said on Friday. “In practice, we always emphasize push ahead, push ahead.”
A little defense + a little offense 🤝
— LSU Women's Basketball (@LSUwbkb) March 20, 2026
📺ESPN pic.twitter.com/ANCwL6rM4q
LSU’s depth also enhances its ability to defend on the other end of the court. The ability to rotate different players – whether tall, small, or quick – makes the Tigers even more dangerous.
“I think we have athleticism, speed, and quickness with certain ones on the floor, but we also have strength,” Mulkey said.
Rebounding and defense are, and will always be, LSU’s bread and butter as long as Mulkey is the head coach in Baton Rouge. For the Tigers to continue improving, they must maintain consistent, suffocating defense to allow the offense to erupt as it has all season.
“We just have to keep committing to things defensively when you play the great teams that are as good as you or better than you, and we’ve got to make sure that we show them turnover,” Mulkey said. “We’ve got to make sure the defensive help is there.”
LSU will face seventh-seeded Texas Tech (25–7, 12–6 Big 12 Conference) on Sunday inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center (2 p.m., ABC).
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