By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
The No. 6 LSU women’s basketball team picked up its sixth straight win on Thursday after defeating Arkansas 90-72 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
LSU (20-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) continued to showcase its depth in the 22-point win, as six players finished in double figure scoring. 6-5 sophomore forward Kate Koval was among them, recording one of her most complete performances of the season with 12 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks and three steals.
“I thought Kate was solid,” head coach Kim Mulkey said after the Tigers’ win over Arkansas (11-11, 0-7 SEC). “Kate’s not going to be too high, too low. She’s going to be there to help you as a teammate when you get beat. So, I thought she finished around the rim. I was very pleased with Kate.”
Koval has now put together three straight impressive performances. In LSU’s 98-54 win at Texas A&M (8-9, 1-7 SEC), she scored 15 points and grabbed five rebounds. Against Florida (13-10, 1-7 SEC), Koval scored four points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds in just 15 minutes played in an 89-60 win.
Koval is averaging 10.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks per game this season. The Notre Dame transfer has started in 10 games this season, but she has become an even more valuable contributor off the bench, providing consistency and stability in the post. Mulkey believes Koval is one of the most consistent performers on her team.
“I think she’s just a calming effect for our team, whether she’s having double-doubles or scoring the ball or whatever,” Mulkey said. “Kate is doing extremely well and is so valuable to our team that I don’t think she’s had what I would just say a bad game.”
February’s SEC gauntlet will test LSU and Koval’s ability to play her role at a high level will be key if the Tigers want to make a serious push in March.
LSU returns to action on Sunday when it host No. 24 Alabama (19-3, 5-3 SEC) at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center (11 a.m., SEC Network).
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