PHOTO: Brian Kelly & his wife were at the PMAC Monday night for #LSU's win over Florida State:

Brian Kelly supported Kim Mulkey's LSU Lady Tigers as they won their NCAA Tournament second-round game on Monday. The boss of the Tigers football program was seen alongside his wife, Paqui Kelly, as the Tigers defeated the Florida State Seminoles with a resounding 101-71 score at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge.

The LSU Lady Tigers were led by the combination of forwards Aneesah Morrow and Sa'Myah Smith and guard Mikaylah Williams. Williams led LSU in scoring with 28 points, followed closely by Morrow's 26 points. Smith had a still-relevant 20 points. Smith also recorded 12 rebounds and six assists, while Morrow posted 11 rebounds and seven assists.

With the victory, Kim Mulkey's squad moves to the Sweet 16 against the No. 2-seeded NC State Wolfpack on Friday at the Spokane Arena in Washington.

Kim Mulkey praises Sa'Myah Smith in aftermath of LSU's win over Florida State

Few saw this kind of prime-time performance coming from Sa'Myah Smith. To be fair, not even Tigers boss Kim Mulkey expected her to be a difference-maker in LSU's victory.

Mulkey said as much on Monday:

“I can't tell you that I expected this, but when you recruit young people and you keep them healthy and they just keep plugging away, they keep just trying to get better," Mulkey said.

"She's had knee surgery. So, she's just trying to get back in the flow. In fact, she kind of grabbed herself a couple times. I thought maybe it was cramps in her calves because she didn't say anything like she was injured, and the trainer didn't tap me on the shoulder to take her out.”

Smith is in her redshirt sophomore year. Her most important accolade so far is an All-Freshman SEC selection as a true freshman. Injuries hampered her in her second season, which led to her medical redshirt.

In 2024-25, she hasn't been a big contributor, averaging 6.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.