By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
The No. 7 LSU women’s basketball team will look to get back in the win column Thursday night when the Tigers travel to Oxford to take on No. 17 Ole Miss at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion (8 p.m., ESPN).
LSU (22-4, 8-4 Southeastern Conference) hopes to use its 79-72 loss to No. 3 South Carolina (25-2, 11-1 SEC) last Saturday as fuel for the remainder of the season.
“We just got to learn from this,” senior guard Flau’jae Johnson said after LSU’s loss to South Carolina. “Nick Saban said, ‘Never waste a failure.’ So, we’re not going to waste this loss. We definitely got to learn from it and grow from it.”
The Tigers shot 29.1 percent from the field in the second half and were 14-of-23 from the free throw line against the Gamecocks, but head coach Kim Mulkey said it will be key for her staff to help the team move on from the loss.
“Collectively, it’s our jobs as coaches when we get back on that practice floor to make sure we get them back in the right mindset to keep winning a few more basketball games,” Mulkey said after the game. “We’ll see. They’ve done it all year, so I hope that they’ll continue to do it as we finish February and head into March Madness.”
The loss to South Carolina on Valentine’s Day marked the fourth time this season LSU fell short in a back-and-forth game. As the Tigers prepare to face another ranked opponent in No. 17 Ole Miss (21-6, 8-4 SEC), closing out in the fourth quarter will be vital.
Junior guard Mikaylah Williams emphasized the importance of both finishing and starting games better.
“I think some of us have to just look in the mirror and down the stretch bow our neck, stop dropping these close games,” Williams said after Saturday’s loss. “Doing what we need to do early in the game, so it doesn’t come down to free throws at the end of the game. So, I think just taking care of our business in the first half so we don’t have to do all that fighting in the back end.”
Ole Miss is coming off a convincing 94-81 win over No. 21 Tennessee (16-8, 8-4 SEC) on Monday. The Rebels shot 50.8% from the field.
LSU will need to contain Ole Miss senior 6-0 forward Cotie McMahon in the top 20 showdown. The standout out of Dayton, Ohio, scored a career-high 39 points on 12-of-22 shooting against the Lady Vols. McMahon is averaging 20.5 points (team-high) and 5.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists this season.
The Tigers will also try to avenge last season’s 85-77 senior night loss to the Rebels. In the loss, LSU committed a season-high 23 turnovers and was out-rebounded 38-34.
Thursday’s highly anticipated matchup is expected to be a sell-out in the Sandy and John Black Pavillion (9,500). Two notable attendees include ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith and Ole Miss head football coach Pete Golding.
Time to give Stephen A. the Hotty Toddy experience🦈#HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/tWrdkU455S
— Ole Miss Athletics (@OleMissSports) February 18, 2026
When your football coach texts you first thing in the AM to say he’s pulling up with the fellas Thursday!!!! 💙❤️😁🏈🏀
— Coach Yo (@YolettMcCuin) February 18, 2026
Just three games ago, LSU struggled to maintain its composure in a sold-out Moody Center against the Texas Longhorns women’s basketball, a factor that contributed to the Tigers unraveling late. With the Tigers set to enter another hostile environment on Thursday, maintaining poise for the full 40 minutes will be critical.
LSU would put itself in a strong position to earn a top-four seed and double bye in the SEC Tournament later in March with a win over the Rebels.
Be the first to comment