By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
The No. 6 LSU women’s basketball team will look to close the regular-season on a strong note when it travels to Starkville to face Mississippi State on Sunday at the Humprey Coliseum (3 p.m., SEC Network).
With its 89-73 win over Tennessee (16-11, 8-7 Southeastern Conference) on Thursday night, LSU clinched a top-four seed and double bye in the SEC Tournament. Although the Tigers have already secured that position, Sunday’s matchup provides another opportunity to build even more momentum heading into the postseason.
LSU (25-4, 11-4 SEC) received production from several players in its senior night victory against Tennessee. Junior guard Mikaylah Williams led the team with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guard MiLaysia Fulwiley added 18 points and six rebounds, recording her third consecutive strong performance.
Head coach Kim Mulkey said she has noticed a boost in Fulwiley’s confidence since leading the Tigers to a 13-point comeback win over Ole Miss two weeks ago.
“She’s been playing in practice very confidently,” Mulkey said on Thursday after the win over Tennessee. “She can make some of the worst turnovers that just make your blood boil, but then she can get it back on the other end, so MiLaysia has got a lot of energy right now. She’s got a lot of confidence right now.”
LSU’s freshman forwards were also dominant. ZaKiyah Johnson finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Grace Knox added 13 points and nine boards.
“I thought Z and Grace accepted the challenge and they went in there and got some offensive putbacks and defensive rebounds,” Mulkey said.
Knox returned to the lineup after being held out against Missouri due to a coach’s decision and she delivered several key plays down the stretch.
“She’s just got a burning desire to be tough, to be physical, to play the game the way it’s supposed to be played and she got some big rebounds in a lot of traffic in that second half,” Mulkey said.
Mississippi State (18-11, 5-10 SEC) enters Sunday’s contest on a three-game losing streak, most recently falling 68-64 to Texas A&M.
State is led by one of the most dominant post duos in the SEC, which features 6-2 freshman forward Madison Francis and 6-3 junior forward Favour Nwaedozi.
The Bulldogs are led by one of the SEC’s most dominant post duos: 6-2 freshman forward Madison Francis and 6-3 junior forward Favour Nwaedozi. Francis leads the team with 14.3 points per game and averages 7.3 rebounds. Nwaedozi is one of just five players in the SEC averaging a double-double, posting 12.2 points and 10.0 rebounds per contest.
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