By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
The No. 6 LSU women’s basketball team will look to clinch a top-four seed and a double bye in the SEC Tournament on Thursday night when the Tigers host Tennessee at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center (5 p.m., ESPN).
It will be senior night for two Tigers – Flau’jae Johnson and Amiya Joyner.
Johnson, one of the first high school recruits and the first McDonald’s All-American signed by head coach Kim Mulkey at LSU, will play her final regular-season game in the PMAC.
“I would imagine there’ll be a lot of emotion, but the thing I’m not going to cry about is it won’t be her last time in this PMAC because if you host the first and second round games, she’s going to get to play some more in here, but as far as the regular season is concerned, yes, it will be the last time folks will get to see her play an SEC opponent,” Mulkey said after the win against Missouri.
Although it won’t be her last game in Baton Rouge, Mulkey said she will always be grateful for Johnson’s contributions to the program.
“What a remarkable career,” Mulkey said. “The things that she has done, the attention she has brought to not only our program, but to LSU. She’s a household name. When you go on the road, you don’t get many cheers on the road. You usually get booed, but Flau’jae always has the most cheers because people listen to her music.”
Mulkey said that Johnson’s tireless dedication behind the scenes is what has made her so successful, both on and off the court.
“She’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever coached,” Mulkey said. “She’s one of two that in my career, I’ve said, ‘Put the ball down. You’re not working out with your trainer.’ Can you imagine saying that to kids that just work like that? It’s just that’s all she knows – is to go to work and she does it in the wee hours of the morning. It’s become routine for her.”
Joyner will also be honored on senior night after transferring from East Carolina this offseason. She has played a pivotal role in her lone season with the Tigers, averaging 9.6 points, a team-high 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
LSU (24-4, 10-4 Southeastern Conference) is coming off a dominant 108-55 win over Missouri (16-13, 4-10 SEC) on Sunday. The Tigers grabbed an NCAA-era program-record 72 rebounds in the victory.
Junior guard MiLaysia Fulwiley recorded her first career double-double in Sunday’s win with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Fulwiley is averaging 24 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 2.5 blocks in her last two games.
Mulkey said Fulwiley’s standout performance at Ole Miss helped boost her confidence.
“When they do have that big game and they’re on the floor at the end of the game to help us win, I think it just elevates your confidence,” Mulkey said.
Tennessee (16-10, 8-6 SEC) enters Thursday on a four-game losing streak, most recently falling 100-93 to No. 7 Oklahoma (21-6, 9-5 SEC). Junior guard Talaysia Cooper leads the Lady Vols with 16.0 points per game and averaged 20.0 points in two matchups against LSU last season.
Senior 6-4 forward Janiah Barker will also present a challenge for the Tigers in the paint. Barker is averaging 14.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.
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