By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
For the first time since Jan. 2, 2022, the No. 6 LSU women’s basketball team picked up its second straight win against an AP Top-25 team after defeating No. 13 Oklahoma, 91-72, on Sunday afternoon in front of a sold-out Lloyd Noble Center in Norman.
The Sooners came into Sunday’s contest with the No. 2 scoring offense in the nation, but the Tigers were dominant on the defensive end, holding Oklahoma (14-4, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) to just 36.6% shooting. LSU (17-2, 3-2 SEC) forced Oklahoma to turn the ball over 18 times, totaling nine steals and five blocks.
Oklahoma freshman guard Aaliyah Chavez came into Sunday’s matchup as the Sooners’ lead scorer, averaging 19.2 points, but today, she was held to just 3-of-14 shooting with 11 points.
When you talk about defense, you got to mention Jada Richard,” senior guard Flau’jae Johnson said after the win. “I would say she did a great job just controlling the tempo on defense, getting back in transition. We had a couple of lapses in transition, but overall, Jada controlled the pace, she really controlled the whole dynamic on defense, so I would say it was her really dictating what Oklahoma did on those actions.”
Johnson had one of her best games this season as she led the team in scoring with 23 points. Four other players scored in double-digits for LSU: sophomore guard Jada Richard (21), freshman forward Grace Knox (13), junior guard MiLaysia Fulwiley (12) and junior guard Mikaylah Williams (10)
Richard’s 21 points against Oklahoma were a career-high.
“That’s kind of what we did in practice, just focusing on our offensive execution, so I think it’s just a testament to what we did in practice,” Richard said. “I mean, I have great players around me, so with them on the court, I’m going to always get open.”
In the final frame, LSU’s lead grew to as much as 24 after Richard finished a layup in transition with contact at the 8:15 mark. The Sooners responded with back-to-back three pointers to make it 76-58 with 7:22 to play. Oklahoma cut the Tigers’ lead to 13, but LSU kept chipping away. The Tigers were able to close the game out comfortably, ending the last five minutes of the game on a 15-9 run.
Oklahoma hit a couple of three-point shots to open up the second half, but the Tigers responded with points of their own. LSU led 55-48 midway through the third quarter. Flau’jae Johnson’s productivity on the floor continued as she grabbed two big offensive rebounds and scored on both occasions to give the Tigers the 62-50 lead with 3:00 left to play. LSU extended its lead to 18 after Williams hit a couple of free throws and the Tigers went into the fourth quarter with a commanding 70-52 lead.
To start the second quarter, LSU grew its lead to 10 after freshman forward ZaKiyah Johnson finished strong in the paint to make it 28-18. Both offenses started to heat up as they traded buckets. Oklahoma cut the lead to 35-31, but the Tigers went on a 7-0 run to regain a double-digit lead to make it 42-31. Beers hit two straight shots to cut the Tigers’ lead, but LSU would still take the 45-35 lead into halftime. Flau’jae Johnson had 15 points in the first half on 5-of-9 shooting.
It wasn’t an ideal start for LSU in Norman as Oklahoma took a 9-2 lead just two minutes into the game after hitting its first three-point shots of the day. The lead grew to 13-4 with 6:11 to go in the first quarter, but then, the Tigers went on a run of their own. LSU would tie things up at 13 each after Williams sunk three free throws. The Tigers picked up some momentum and went on a 11-0 run to end the quarter and go into the second with a 24-16 lead. Richard led the quarter in scoring with seven points.
The Tigers will be on the road again later this week as they travel to College Station to take on Texas A&M (8-5, 1-3 SEC) on Thursday at Reed Arena (8 p.m., SEC Network).
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