By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, TIGER RAG STAFF Writer
The No. 5 LSU women’s basketball team (6-0) is set to face Marist (2-4) on Friday, Nov. 27 (7 p.m. CT, ESPN+) at the Eldridge Wilburn Blake Sports and Fitness Center in St. Thomas for the Paradise Jam Tournament.
It’s the third time for the Tigers to participate in the Paradise Jam Tournament (2000, 2016, 2025). The tournament consists of three divisions of four teams each with LSU occupying a spot in the Reef Division alongside Marist (its opening opponent), Washington State (0-6) and Miami (OH), (4-2).
The winners of the first Reef Division games will go on to play for the Championship game on Saturday, Nov. 29 (6:30 p.m. ESPN+) and the third-place matchup will take place on the same day at 4 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+. LSU will face either Washington State or Miami (OH).
LSU is coming off its sixth win of the season after defeating Alcorn State (2-5) last week by a score of 112-49, which set an SEC record for most consecutive games of scoring more than 100+ points.
In its win against the Braves, LSU had five players to score in double digits: senior guard Flau’jae Johnson (18), junior guard MiLaysia Fulwiley (18), junior guard Mikaylah Williams (15), sophomore forward Kate Koval (15) and freshman forward Grace Knox (12). The Tigers have had five or more double-digit scorers in each of their games this season.
“The talent 1-12 may be a lot more depth, a lot more decisions that I have to make and part of that is because eight of them are new,” head coach Kim Mulkey said after the win against Alcorn State. “So, I think that depth on what is taking place now is something that is challenging for a coach and it’s also fun. Did I see this coming? No. On paper, how many times have you seen great talented teams on paper, but you know they have trouble sharing the ball or you know, all that stuff. These kids just work. They just go to work, they take coaching. They do catch on to things quicker than you might imagine. They’ve played a lot of basketball together.”
Knox, the freshman from Las Vegas, Nevada, had one of her best games in the purple and gold in last week’s 63-point victory. Along with 12 points, Knox hauled in four rebounds and dished out an assist. Mulkey said Knox has done a great job of being productive early for the team.
“She has continued this little pattern to go up,” Mulkey said. “She has a great shot. She gets in there and battles with the bigs and you know, Grace is pretty polished.”
LSU has played its first-round opponent, Marist, twice prior to its matchup on Nov. 28. The last time the Tigers and Red Foxes met was in 2015, when LSU won 72-49 at the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla. LSU also faced No. 22 Marist in the 2008 NCAA Tournament’s Round of 32 at the PMAC. The Tigers came out victorious by a score of 68-49.
Be the first to comment