LSU head women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey and All-American guard Flau'jae Johnson spoke with the media following their 118-70 win over Georgia Southern.
From LSU sports information:
STATESBORO, Ga. – On a day when Coach Kim Mulkey and the fifth-ranked LSU women’s basketball team gave senior Flau’jae Johnson an opportunity to play close to her home in Savannah, Ga., the Tigers defeated Georgia Southern, 118-70, inside the Hill Convocation Center on Sunday afternoon in Statesboro.
LSU picked up a third consecutive victory to begin the season, moving its overall record to 3-0, while Georgia Southern dropped to 1-2 on the season.
The Tigers will return to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center for their next contest against Charlotte on Wednesday, Nov. 12. The action can be streamed on SEC Network + with Lyn Rollins and Victor Howell calling the action at 7 p.m. CT. Fans are encouraged to tune into the LSU Sports Radio Network with Patrick Wright and Shaeeta Williams on the call.
LSU shot 46-of-87 (53%) from the field and 9-of-20 (45%) from behind the three-point arc on its way to a third-straight game scoring 100-plus points. The Tigers’ three consecutive 100-point outputs marked the second time LSU has strung together at least three 100-point finishes at the beginning of a new season. They hit that milestone five straight times to start the 2022-23 season.
LSU’s 118 points was a season high. The Tigers scored 108 against Houston Christian and 115 versus Southeastern Louisiana.
Johnson, in her return to her home state, led the Tigers in scoring against the Eagles with 19 points. She finished with six assists, four rebounds, and a steal. LSU junior MiLaysia Fulwiley also accounted for 19 points with one assist and seven rebounds.
Sophomore Kate Koval, who transferred in from Notre Dame, collected her first double-double during her short stint in Baton Rouge so far. Koval had 12 points, 14 rebounds and two blocked shots.
In addition to Flau’jae, Fulwiley, and Koval, three other Tigers finished in double figures including ZaKiyah Johnson (17), Mikaylah Williams (15), and Grace Knox (13), contributing to the team’s season high in points.
The homecoming game for Johnson drew a Georgia Southern women's basketball record crowd of 5,322 fans. Following the contest, Johnson and her teammates spent time with the fans at the Hill Convocation Center signing autographs and taking photos.
In the first quarter, LSU was able to build a commanding 15-point lead by shooting 14-of-20 (70%) from the field. LSU’s 31-16 advantage by outscoring the Eagles, 18-6, in the paint and draining two three-pointers throughout the first period. Fulwiley led the Tigers in the first quarter coming off the bench with nine points and going a perfect 4-for-4 from the field.
The second quarter brought more of the Tigers hot shooting and ability to share the ball, which led to points. LSU outscored the home team 36-20 in the second period on 13-of-26 shooting from the field and downing 5-of-6 three-point attempts. The Tigers were led by Flau'jae in the quarter who accounted for nine points, one rebound, and two assists. LSU led the Eagles at the halftime break, 67-36.
In the third quarter, Georgia Southern put together a run that saw the Eagles outscore the Tigers 23-21 in the period. LSU completely turned that point differential around in the fourth quarter, scoring 30 points to Georgia Southern’s 11. The Tigers converted on 10 of their 22 attempts from the field, but LSU went to the free-throw line 14 times, knocking down nine in the quarter.
