No. 6 LSU had everything going for its game against No. 3 South Carolina Saturday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The first prime time women’s college basketball regular season game on ABC on a Saturday night in history was at the King of Saturday Night – in Baton Rouge at LSU, just across the street from Tiger Stadium, where it all began.
It was also Spanish Town Saturday in downtown Baton Rouge. It was also Valentine’s Day. What a night to have a top six game on campus, where two of the center courts of culture in South Louisiana could converge for a game – Mardi Gras and Tailgating.
“Is there a parade here, too?,” a tourist friend asked on our way back from the Spanish Town parade through campus.
“No, they’re tailgating for LSU-South Carolina tonight.”
“They tailgate for women’s basketball?”
Yes, they do.
“Mardi Gras isn’t until next week, and they’re already out here in costume,” ABC’s Rebecca Lobo, apparently another tourist, said during the opening moments of South Carolina at LSU. Uh, no Lobo, when you said that, Mardi Gras Day was next week (Tuesday), but Mardi Gras has been going on for weeks.
And LSU coach Kim Mulkey arrived dressed for the nines … not Title IX, by the way … and for Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras all rolled into one outfit. But then, she does that every game.
Kim Mulkey and Dawn Staley embrace before tip in front of a sold out PMAC. Almost showtime. pic.twitter.com/wG0kJAIUO7
— Harrison Valentine (@HValentineLSU) February 15, 2026
No big woo.
But that’s just it. This was a big woo. Mulkey had lost five straight games as LSU’s coach to South Carolina and coach Dawn Staley, the only coach who has ever had Kim Mulkey’s number. Mulkey loses to no one like that.
But Staley, a younger version of the irascible Mulkey with the same fire and same Final Four point guard player heritage at Virginia to Mulkey’s Louisiana Tech, had won six straight overall over Mulkey. The first one was when Mulkey was at Baylor. Counting her seasons at Baylor, Mulkey was 2-6 against Staley.
And LSU had lost 17 straight to South Carolina overall. Yes, South Carolina and Staley were to LSU what Alabama and Bear Bryant and Alabama and Nick Saban were to LSU and Charles McClendon and LSU and Les Miles over so many decades.
But this was the night the Krewe of Curse was to come down.
…and here’s a look at the crowd ahead of the LSU-South Carolina women’s game https://t.co/JkzjHElgGk pic.twitter.com/6ETPfVMaZt
— Reed Darcey (@byreeddarcey) February 15, 2026
And the city of Baton Rouge and LSU’s fans did their job. The Pete Maravich Assembly Center was sold out with a capacity crowd of 13,200. And that rarely happens, even during the glory years of LSU men’s coach Dale Brown with Rudy Macklin, Rickey Blanton, Chris Jackson and Shaquille O’Neal and John Brady with Stromile Swift, Glen Davis and Tyrus Thomas.
The house was rocking, and LSU took a 21-16 lead after the first quarter.
But maybe the house was too much for the home team as South Carolina went on to win 79-72. This happens. Players get so excited at the moment, particularly with some success, that they can’t do the little things they’ve been doing all year that put them in that moment.
South Carolina led 41-40 at the half. Twice in the final 1:31 of the third quarter, LSU crept to within one at 54-53 and 56-55, but never took the lead as South Carolina continually scored when it needed to and took a 60-55 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
Four times in the fourth quarter, LSU got to within one – at 59-60, 68-69, 70-71 and 72-73, but couldn’t get over the hump. They smelled. They tasted it. But the moment was too big to digest.
Mulkey foreshadowed that a bit during the week leading up to the game while discussing guard MiLaysia Fulwiley, who really had a moment coming up Saturday night. She was playing against her old team from the Columbia, South Carolina, town she grew up in for the first time after two seasons with the Gamecocks. That included two SEC regular season titles, two Final Fours and the national championship in 2024. Plus, her mother made the trip for the game, which is great, but it can add to the desire to want to do too much.
Fuwiley mom aka the Villian Phelliccia had some words to say to “SC fans and her haters” after her daughter took a L to SC!
— TruthHurtsSC4life (@HurtsSc4life) February 16, 2026
👀👀👀👀👀🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵🍵 pic.twitter.com/AvHnEPR812
“Lay will be fine,” Mulkey said. “Except she’s probably internally going to be a little bit excited – have butterflies.”
Fulwiley came in averaging 13.4 points, 3.6 assists, 2.2 turnovers and a team-high 80 steals for 3.2 a game while shooting 47 percent from the field with 29 percent from three-point range. But she scored only six points on 1-of-8 shooting for 12 percent and was 0-for-3 from beyond the arc. She did hit 4 of 4 free throws, though, with three assists, four steals and three turnovers.
Sophomore guard Jada Richard came in averaging 9 points a game on 42 percent shooting with 40 percent from three-point range. But Richard made just 1 of 10 shots, including 0-for-2 from three-point range with 5 of 6 free throws for 7 points.
And senior Flau’jae Johnson entered the game averaging 13.8 points on 47 percent shooting and 4.4 rebounds and 77 percent from the free throw line. She scored a team-high 21 on 9 of 18 shooting with 8 rebounds. But she made only 3 of 8 shots in the second half. And for the game from the free throw line, she missed four of six, including two straight with 45 seconds to go that would have given LSU its first lead since the first half at 74-73.
LSU never scored again.
“It’s like that,” Staley said with great humility. “It was two of the best teams in our conference, in the country, just trying to get a win. LSU got multiple offensive rebounds at the end that put them in position to close the gap and go ahead.”
LSU had everything going.
The Tigers out-rebounded the Gamecocks, 46 to 37, and 18 to 11 in offensive boards – usually a critical statistic. Each team got 28 field goals. Each team got 38 points in the paint. Each team suffered nine turnovers. LSU had 13 second chance points to 12. LSU had 12 assists to 11.
The game couldn’t have been more thrilling or more even between the No. 3 and No. 6 ranked teams, the No. 1 scoring offense (LSU at 95.7) and No. 3 (87.8), the No. 3 field goal shooting team (South Carolina at 51.3 percent) and No. 4 (51.1 percent) and No. 6 three-point shooting team (South Carolina at 38.3 percent) and No. 10 (37.5 percent).
“We knew it was going to be a great environment,” said South Carolina’s Tessa Johnson, who scored 21 points with 4-of-5 shooting from three-point range. “LSU has great fans.”
But the fans couldn’t guard Tessa as South Carolina shot better from long range at 8 of 17 for 47 percent to 2 of 12 by LSU for 16 percent.
And the killer … South Carolina hit 15 of 17 free throws on the road to LSU’s 14 of 23 at home.
“Now, you will focus on those last two free throws (by Flau’jae Johnson),” Mulkey said. “We missed nine. That’s your difference in the ballgame. Look at the stat sheet. We scored the same number of field goals. We out-rebounded them nine. And we were 14 of 23 from the foul line. That’s where the game was lost. Make your free throws, you win.”
LSU’s players – its best players – wanted it so badly, they wanted it too badly.
And there’s this.
“At the end, we got lucky,” Staley said. And coaches don’t often admit that.
“Flau’jae doesn’t miss free throws,” Staley said. “They had 18 offensive rebounds on us, and 18 offensive rebounds from a team like LSU means they win basketball games like this. So, it’s just surprising.”
What LSU needs is one more game against South Carolina this season – not in the P-MAC, which may have exploded had LSU won.
Mulkey has met South Carolina once in the NCAA Tournament and won, 93-68, on March 30, 2019, as Baylor’s coach in the NCAA Tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina.
LSU just needs one more rematch – at the SEC Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina, next month, or better yet, in the Final Four on April 3 or April 5 in Phoenix. This rivalry deserves a Final Four finish.
And maybe, LSU will get lucky next time.
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