By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
The No. 6 LSU women’s basketball team picked up their seventh consecutive win after dominating No. 24 Alabama 103-63 on Sunday morning in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
“It was just one of those days where as a coach you go, ‘Man, I enjoyed that game, not because we won. It was how we did it,'” head coach Kim Mulkey said after the win on Sunday. “And it started on the defensive end and it never stopped. I just felt like anything offensively, they tried to do, we were just reallu gritty and tough.”
LSU held the Alabama to 34.4% shooting while forcing the Crimson Tide to turn the ball over 17 times.
Alabama’s No. 12 scoring defense stood no chance against LSU’s top scoring offense as the Tigers erupted for 103 points on 56.1% shooting. It’s the most points surrendered by the Crimson Tide in conference play this season.
Sophomore guard Jada Richard led LSU (21-2, 7-2 Southeastern Conference) in scoring with 16 points while three other Tigers scored 10 or more points: junior guard Mikaylah Williams (15), freshman forward ZaKiyah Johnson (15) and junior guard MiLaysia Fulwiley (10). Every player scored for the Tigers.
“We have a lot of depth on our team,” ZaKiyah Johnson said. “Everyone knows what to do when they come out there and you just prepare for it in practice. You have to go out confident, ready to shoot, ready to play defense and I think that really helps a lot when you step out on the court. Starter or not, we don’t really care.”
Last season, Alabama (19-4, 5-4 SEC) junior 6-4 forward Essence Cody gave the Tigers a fit in the Crimson Tide’s 88-85 overtime win, recording 17 points, six rebounds, five blocks, two steals and one assist. That wasn’t the case today. LSU held Cody to just 6 points on 3-of-8 shooting.
Sophomore forward Kate Koval played a key role in the Tigers’ 40-point win, specifically locking down on the defensive end. She finished with three blocks and two steals, helping hold the Crimson Tide to just 20 points in the paint. Despite logging only 14 minutes, Koval made them count, recording eight points and nine rebounds.
“I feel like defense is always a big emphasis for us. Not letting them get easy paint touches, not letting them get to the foul line,” Koval said. “Overall, (our) team defense was amazing and I think our focus and preparation before every single game really shows when we get out down the court and help each other and rotate.”
In the final ten minutes, LSU’s lead grew to over 30 points after Fulwiley knocked down a three near the top of the key to make it 77-45. And the Tigers didn’t take their foot off the gas. Freshman guard Bella Hines converted on an and-one layup to make it 88-48 with 6:40 to go in the game. Fulwiley gave LSU it’s 100th point after hitting a corner three with 1:20 to go. LSU outscored Alabama 29-20 in the final period.
Senior guard Flau’jae Johnson hit a midrange jumper to open up the second half to give the Tigers a 51-29 lead. Later, sophomore forward Kate Koval extended LSU’s lead after hitting jumper and a layup on back-to-back possession to make it 61-36 with just under six minutes to go in the period. The Tigers finished the final 2:21 of the third quarter on an 11-1 run to give LSU a commanding 74-43 lead going into the fourth quarter. Flau’jae Johnson and Koval both finished with six points in the quarter.
Williams hit a midrange jumper to open up the second quarter, extending LSU’s lead to eight points. Both teams exchanged points for the next several minutes before the Tigers started to grow their lead late in the quarter. ZaKiyah Johnson drained a wide-open three-point shot to give LSU a 39-24 lead with 3:00 to go before the half. The Tigers took a 49-29 lead at the half after finishing the last three minutes on a 10-4 run. Williams caught fire in the second quarter, scoring 11 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting.
After winning the opening tip, LSU wasted no time attacking Alabama in the paint as freshman forward Grace Knox finished at the rim through contact following an offensive rebound, giving the Tigers a 2-0 lead. Alabama and LSU traded baskets over the next few minutes before heading into the first media timeout tied at 10–10 with 4:49 remaining in the quarter. Later, Richard knocked down a three-point shot to give the Tigers a 17-13 lead. On LSU’s next offensive possession, Fulwiley grabbed a rebound under the goal and delivered a behind-the-back pass to Joyner in the paint, who converted on a layup to make it 19-13 with 53 seconds remaining. LSU held a 21-15 lead going into the second quarter. Richard had six points, three rebounds and two assists in the period.
LSU will look to complete a regular season sweep of No. 4 Texas (20-2, 5-2 SEC) on Thursday as the Tigers travel to Austin to face the Longhorns at the Moody Center (8 p.m., ESPN).
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