TALLAHASSEE, Fla. --- Once Florida State figured out a way to keep Shanavia Dowdell in check, things finally started clicking for the Seminoles.
It just took a lot longer than they planned.
Jacinta Monroe and Courtney Ward each scored 16 points, and third-seeded Florida State clamped down defensively in the second half to escape with a 75-61 win over 14th-seeded Louisiana Tech on Saturday in the women's NCAA Tournament.
Chasity Clayton and Alexa Deluzio each added 10 points for Florida State (27-5), which will play St. John's in the second round of the Dayton Regional on Monday night.
Shanavia Dowdell scored 22 of her 28 points in the first half, and Jasmine Bendolph added 11 for Louisiana Tech (23-9), which was back in the NCAAs for the first time since 2006 and led by nine after 15 minutes.
The highlights stopped there for Teresa Weatherspoon's club.
Florida State kept two people near Dowdell throughout the second half, daring Louisiana Tech to have someone else step up and make shots.
No one did.
The Lady Techsters shot 50 percent in the first half -- and almost unbelievably, shot 5 of 30, just 17 percent, after intermission.
ST. JOHN'S 65, PRINCETON 47
In Tallahassee, Fla., Da'Shena Stevens scored 19 points, Shenneika Smith added 13 and sixth-seeded St. John's ran away from 11th-seeded Princeton in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament.
Nadirah McKenith and Centhya Hart each scored 10 for St. John's (25-6), which will meet Florida State in the second round of the Dayton Regional on Monday night.
Niveen Rasheed scored 11 points for Ivy League champion Princeton (26-3), which saw its school-record 21-game winning streak -- the nation's third-longest entering the tournament -- snapped.
The Tigers shot just 7 of 35 in the first half, falling behind 34-18 at the break and never recovering.
Lauren Edwards had a game-high 13 rebounds for Princeton.
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