ST. THOMAS – With yet another 100-point game under its belt, the fifth-ranked LSU women’s basketball team defeated Washington State in the championship game of the Paradise Jam Reef Division, 112-35, inside the Elridge Wilburn Blake Sports and Fitness Center on Saturday night on the University of Virgin Islands campus.
Under head coach Kim Mulkey, LSU’s record in Thanksgiving tournaments moved to 10-0. The 77 point margin of victory is largest in program history away from the friendly confines of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. It also marked the fourth-largest margin of victory all-time, all four of which have come in the last three seasons.
With the win, LSU collected its eighth straight victory to start the season, improving to 8-0 overall. With the loss, Washington State dropped to 1-7 on the year. LSU’s 100-point output against the Cougars extended its NCAA record in consecutive games with 100 points or more to eight. The Tigers established the DI record versus Marist on Nov. 28.
LSU will return to action on Thursday, Dec. 4, when it travels to Durham, N.C., to take on the Duke Blue Devils inside Cameron Indoor Stadium. The contest is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN as a part of the ACC/SEC Challenge, which is in its third season. Fans are also encouraged to tune into the LSU Sports Radio Network with Patrick Wright and Shaeeta Williams on the call.
Seven Tigers finished with double figures in scoring, including their leading scorer in senior Flau’jae Johnson (16). Other LSU players who scored in the double digits were freshman ZaKiyah Johnson (12), senior Amiya Joyner (12), junior Mikaylah Williams (12), sophomore Jada Richard (14), freshman Grace Knox, and junior MiLaysia Fulwiley (12).
Joyner notched her second-straight double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, joining her performance against Marist (16 points, 10 rebounds) on Friday night. Richard’s 14 points was a career high for the sophomore guard.
LSU shot 40-of-71 (56.3%) from the field, while the Cougars only converted on 13-of-48 (27.1%) field goal attempts. The Tigers outrebounded WSU by 37 (52-15) and knocked down 9-of-16 (56.3%) from behind the three-point arc.
In the first quarter, LSU was able to build a sizable lead by the end of it, going ahead of Washington State by a 29-8 score. The Tigers started out on a 16-2 run before Washington State stopped the scoring drought with a three-pointer at the 5:01 mark. The LSU defense held the Cougars to three points for the remainder of the quarter, while the Tigers added 13. Richard led all Tigers with eight points.
The Tigers added to their advantage in the second quarter by outscoring the opponent 25-9, which included a 16-3 run until the period’s media timeout. LSU would continue to dominate its opponent, taking a 54-17 lead into the halftime break. The third quarter brought along an extended period of time from the 4:51 mark of the third quarter to the 0:53 mark of the final period, where LSU scored 44 unanswered points. The Tigers outscored WSU, 58-18 in the second half.
Throughout the two games LSU played at the 2025 Paradise Jam, it scored 225 points compared to its opponent’s 88.
