Augustus sets pace as top-seeded LSU cruises past Florida Atlantic

The nation's top scorer had 22 points in 27 minutes in the 72-48 romp.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Having the nation's top scorer sure makes starting the NCAA tournament much easier.
Seimone Augustus, looking to cap her fabulous career with the national title that has eluded the LSU Tigers in their last two trips to the Final Four, nearly outscored tournament newcomer Florida Atlantic all by herself Saturday.
Augustus scored 22 points in 27 minutes, then cheered her teammates from the bench as top-seeded LSU routed No. 16 seed Florida Atlantic 72-48 in the opening round of the San Antonio Regional.
LSU will play No. 9 seed Washington, a 73-69 winner over Minnesota, in the second round Monday night.
The Tigers (28-3) started a little sluggishly and even trailed 14-13 before Augustus, the two-time Southeastern Conference and last year's national player of the year, took control. She scored 10 of the next 20 points as LSU finished off the first half with a 22-4 run and led 35-18 at halftime.
Augustus hit more shots by herself than Florida Atlantic (20-11) in the first half (eight to seven). When she reached 22 points in the second half, it matched the Owls' total at the time.
From then on, it was only a question of whether or not LSU would match or top its previous biggest margin of victory in the NCAA tournament. The Tigers had a 42-point victory over No. 13 seed Liberty in the regional semifinals last year and led by as much as 36 three different times.
Sylvia Fowles added 15 points for LSU, Quianna Chaney had 11 and Ashley Thomas grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.
Washington 73, Minnesota 69
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Kristen O'Neill scored four points in the final minute, including a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 56.6 seconds remaining to lead Washington to its first NCAA tournament win since 2001.
Neither team led by more than four points for the final 15:14. O'Neill's 3 snapped a 67-all tie. Minnesota had a chance to send the game into overtime trailing 71-69, but Brittney Davis turned the ball over on a drive with 5 seconds left.
Andrea Plouffe led Washington (19-10) with 15 points, while O'Neill finished with 10. Breane Watson had 14 points and nine rebounds, and Cameo Hicks scored 10.
Kelly Roysland scored a career-high 23 points for Minnesota (19-10).