Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
No. 2 LSU
No. 7 Lady Raiders face No. 2 LSU on Sunday
March 21, 2026 | Women's Basketball
BATON ROUGE, La. – The 7-seeded Texas Tech Lady Raiders are in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament as they play the host-team and 2-seeded LSU Tigers on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Maravich Center in Baton Rouge, La. LSU holds a 10-1 all-time record against Texas Tech, going on a three-game win streak with their last victory coming on Dec. 21, 2021 by a 74-60 score. The Lady Raiders' lone win against the Tigers came on Nov. 20, 1999 at home, 56-49.
"I think our kids like the challenge," head coach Krista Gerlich said. "I think they like the opportunity to play against somebody that we want to limit their possessions… We're one of the top defensive teams in the country, we've taken a lot of pride in that, and this will be our greatest challenge to date, for sure."
Against Colorado and Kansas, senior point guard Gemma Núñez recently eclipsed 500 assists and 500 rebounds to become one of 12 active players in the nation to have 500/500 in her career, joining: Rory HarÂmon (Texas), Raven Johnson (South Carolina), Tate Lash (NorthÂwestern) Charlisse Leger-Walker (UCLA), Kiki Rice (UCLA), Taina Mair (Duke), Amaya Battle (Minnesota), Olivia Miles (TCU), Tonie Morgan (Kentucky), Ny'Ceara Pryor (Texas A&M) and Tuti Jones (Belmont). She is just two steals away from joining the 500/500/200 club as she would become one of nine active players to do so (Rachael Rose, Clemson, Harmon, Johnson, Leger-Walker, Mair, Miles, Pryor and Jones).
The Lady Raiders are one of the best teams in the country on defense. Tech ranks 29th in the nation and second in the Big 12 holding teams to 57.9 points per game. The Lady Raiders are holding teams to 27.0 percent from behind the arc as well as 36.9 percent from the field to rank 17th and 24th nationally in those respective categories. The Lady Raiders' 5.7 blocks per game are good for 10th nationally, while they are forcing 19.45 turnovers per game to check in at second in the Big 12 and 47th in the nation.
"When it comes to defense, we are hard-nosed, we're gritty, we play together," senior guard Bailey Maupin said. "We play heavy gaps, but at the same time we also full-court press the entire game. That's something that not a lot of teams are doing anymore. 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."
Maupin is having a career season - ranking first on the team in points per game (15.1), free throws (123) and three pointers (66). Maupin also leads the team with 28 games totalÂing double-digit scoring and leads outright with six games with 20+ points. Maupin is just one point away from having 500 this season, her second year in a row to do so. Maupin was also named one of 48 finalists to the WBCA All-America Team this past week, the first time she's been added to the list. Maupin now ranks: second in 3-pointer attempts (605), third in free throw percentage (.835), third in free throws made (480), fourth in career scoring (1,806 points), fourth in 3-pointers made (196), fifth in free throw atÂtempts (575) and seventh in field goal attempts (1,402).
Texas Tech is averaging 71.5 points per game and holding opponents to 57.9 points per game. The Lady Raiders are shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 34.5 from behind the arc this year. In addition, Tech is averaging 14.3 assists per game, 5.7 blocks per game, 9.8 steals per game and holding teams to 36.9 percent from the field.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
The 2-seeded LSU Tigers are coming off a 116-58 win against Jacksonville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers tied the NCAA Tournament record with seven double-digit scorers in the game - Flau'jae Johnson (20), junior Mikaylah Williams (18), sophomore Jada Richard (17), freshman ZaKiyah Johnson (16), junior MiLaysia Fulwiley (13), sophomore Kate Koval (11) and freshman Grace Knox (11). This season, the Tigers are 28-5 overall and went 12-4 in the SEC. Their five losses came against Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Texas and South Carolina (twice). Recently, LSU picked up wins over Oklahoma, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Tennessee. They also total a program-record tying 15 games with over 100-plus points scored in a game.
The Tigers rank in the top-10 nationally in many different categories and have the most potent offense in the country. They rank first nationally in points per game (95.1), bench points per game (39.0) and rebound margin (17.1). LSU checks in at second in the nation outscoring opponents by 34.4 points per game, while ranking third in field goal percentage (.508), free throws made per game (17.58), rebounds per game (48.42) and three-point percentage (.377).
LSU has four players averaging double-digit scoring on the season in Fulwiley (14.6), Flau'jae Johnson (14.0), Williams (13.7) and ZaKiyah Johnson (10.1). Three more Tigers also average 9.0 points or more per game. Leading the team in rebounding is Amiya Joyner with 7.4 per game, followed by Kate Koval with 6.2. Fulwiley leads the way in steals (97) and blocks (48), while Mikaylah Williams boasts a team-best 123 assists.
NCAA Tournament Information
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