LSU women’s basketball overcame a slow start to defeat Arkansas 92-70 on Thursday inside the PMAC. The No. 5 Tigers fell behind in the first quarter but went ahead for good in the second quarter.
While neither team shot the ball particularly well in the opening 20 minutes, the Razorbacks made a living from distance. They made four three-pointers in the first quarter and were nearly even with the Tigers on the glass. The game was tied at 22 at the end of the first quarter.
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Both sides shot under 30% from the field in the second but LSU remained aggressive. It pulled down 20 rebounds and went into halftime up by three points. Then the Tigers turned up the heat.
Two minutes into the third quarter, LSU had a double-digit lead for good. It opened the frame on an 18-3 run and took a 19-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes. The Tigers led in rebounds, 56-34, and scored 50 points in the paint.
Six Tigers finished in double figures. Flau’Jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams each scored 17 points while Kate Koval notched a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds.
Here’s what head coach Kim Mulkey said following her team’s win.
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Johnson came up big in the second half
Johnson scored all of her points in the second half, shooting 54.5% from the field in the final 20 minutes. Her leadership continues to be game-changing for LSU.
“It’s big for Flau’Jae because you’re a senior and she’d gotten in foul trouble,” Mulkey said. “It’s big to go out there and not pick up your third real quick and just play a little harder, play a little more aggressive, have a sense of urgency.”
“Flau’Jae has done so many wonderful things for this program and now she’s doing even more because she’s sharing the ball. We’ve got more people scoring the ball. She doesn’t have to do as much probably on the offensive end as she’s had to. And it’s the same way with Mikaylah. They’re enjoying – I’ll call it their basketball team because that’s your two captains.”
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Tigers pushed through poor shooting in first half
“You’re going to have games where you don’t shoot it good. You’re going to have games where you’re going to miss 15 layups like we did in the first half. But I just didn’t think we started the game playing as hard as we could play and when you play as hard as you can play, good things happen. And I think we just picked up the intensity, picked up the pace, and just played more with a sense of urgency and focus.”
Substitutes play big role in win
Mulkey subbed five players on I note first quarter when the Tigers were struggling. She feels confident that every player, including true freshmen, will produce when their number is called.
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“You never let them become comfortable, but yet you make sure that they know, ‘gosh, I just have a lot of faith in you. You’re so good,’ but you never want them to become comfortable and content. And that goes for all of them. And you let them know that ‘don’t come out here and think you’re never going to get in that game.'”
“Your opportunity will present itself and that’s what we try to do. Do we have it perfect? Do we know that we’re going to get it right every time? No. You have to make decisions in this game quickly.”
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Three things Kim Mulkey said after LSU women’s basketball win
