High-scoring LSU and pressing Texas Tech bring contrasting styles to 2nd-round March Madness tilt

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - LSU guard Jada Richard compares running the court alongside Flau'jae Johnson, Mikaylah Williams and MiLaysia Fulwiley to performing on stage.

"We going to give y'all a show," Richard said on the eve of the second-seeded Tigers' tilt with No. 7 seed Texas Tech on Sunday in the second round of March Madness. "That's behind-the-back passes. We're going to have celebrations. We just play with a lot of passion."

Lady Raiders guard Bailey Maupin harkens back to the blue-collar basketball traditions of West Texas when she talks about Tech's approach.

"When it comes to defense, we are hard nosed, we're gritty, we play together," Maupin said, highlighting Tech's tendency to apply a full-court press for the entire game.

"That's something that not a lot of teams are doing anymore," Maupin said. "That's something that West Texas basketball's known for, being in your shorts for 40 minutes and forcing you to do things that you're uncomfortable with."

It's a classic contrast in styles.

LSU (28-5) leads the nation in scoring at 95.1 points per game and is coming off its NCAA Division I record-tying 15th 100-point game this season in a 116-58 first-round NCAA Tournament victory over 15th seed Jacksonville on Friday night.

Texas Tech (26-7) scored 57 points in its first-round game against 10th seed Villanova - and won by five.

"The great thing about basketball is you just have to score one more point than the other team," Maupin said. "We've done a great job all year of holding people below their average."

LSU's lowest scoring total this season came in a 65-61 loss at Vanderbilt. That was one of just three times the Tigers were held below 70 points. LSU also gets scoring from across its lineup. No Tigers player averages as many as 15 points per game. Eight players average more than 8.

"We have a lot of weapons getting down the floor with MiLaysia and Jada and Mikaylah, Flau'jae," freshman guard ZaKiyah Johnson said. "Once we get going and kind of figure them out and get comfortable with it, we'll be fine."

Stopping LSU will be difficult, and Texas Tech is a clear underdog, Lady Raiders coach Krista Gerlich conceded, But she added, "Our kids love that challenge."

"We're one of the top defensive teams in the country," Gerlich said. "We've taken a lot of pride in that, and this will be our greatest challenge to date, for sure."

The winner advances to the Sweet 16 in the Sacramento 2 Region.

Johnson gets a lot of credit from coach Kim Mulkey and others for staying for four years at LSU, despite also pursuing a career in music, landing endorsement deals with national brands and being a bona fide pro prospect.

But Johnson, a native of Savannah, Georgia, says she grew to love her school, her coaches, her teammates and living in Louisiana, and expects some strong emotions to surface as the final seconds tick down on her final game at LSU's Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

"I'm trying not to think about it because I'm trying to think about the game in front of me," Johnson said, noting that she already has begun cleaning personal effects out of her locker. "I am going to be a mess. I am not going to be OK.

"But, it makes everything more sweet," added Johnson, who as a freshman was part of LSU's only national championship in women's basketball. "I really love it here and it's really a second home."

Gerlich also offered high praise for Johnson and the loyalty she showed to LSU.

"Could not have more respect for her," Gerlich said. "You don't see it as much anymore with the transfer portal because kids are hopping from school to school.

"She's leaving her legacy," Gerlich added. "It's really huge for her to know that she has a place to call home for the rest of her life."