LSU head women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey spoke with the media following her Tigers 65-61 loss to Vanderbilt. With the loss, the Tigers are now 0-2 in Southeastern Conference play.
From LSU sports information:
NASHVILLE – Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes paced the home team’s efforts with 32 points as she lifted the 12th-ranked Commodores to a 65-61 victory Sunday afternoon inside Memorial Gymnasium.
Vanderbilt remained undefeated with the win, improving its record to 15-0 overall and 2-0 in the SEC, while LSU dropped to 14-2 on the year and 0-2 in league play.
The Tigers will return to action on Thursday, Jan. 8, for an SEC contest against the Georgia Bulldogs at Stegeman Coliseum. The matchup is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. CT, as it streams on SEC Network +. The game is also available to listen to on the LSU Sports Radio Network with Patrick Wright (play-by-play) and Shaeeta Williams (analyst) calling the action.
Junior MiLaysia Fulwiley and sophomore Jada Richard led the Tigers in scoring 13 apiece. Fulwiley, who made her first start at LSU, had seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals to accompany her scoring. Richard finished with two rebounds, one assist and two steals.
Junior Mikaylah Williams (12) and freshman ZaKiyah Johnson (10) had double-digit scoring totals joining Fulwiley and Richard.
LSU and Vanderbilt both began the contest struggling to score the ball as the Commodores led the Tigers 15-12 after the first quarter of play. Blakes broke the scoring seal with a three-pointer at the 8:29 mark of the opening period. Vanderbilt got out to a five-point lead at 10-5 before LSU responded and took its first lead of the game on a jumper from Richard. With a 12-11 advantage at the 2:13 mark, the Commodores finished the quarter with four unanswered points.
Blakes had 11 of the Commodores' 15 first quarter points. Her 32 points alone nearly outscored the rest of her teammates (33).
Vanderbilt maintained the lead in the second quarter until the 7:17 mark when Richard tied it up at 18. Fulwiley gave LSU the 20-18 lead, which the Tigers expanded throughout the rest of the first half. LSU’s largest lead was seven, and it took a 28-22 advantage into the locker room.
Going into the media timeout of the third quarter, Vanderbilt attempted to make its runs by closing the deficit to two. LSU kept the opponent at arm's length and had the 38-32 lead with 4:43 left in the period. The Commodores continued to work on their deficit and ultimately tied the ballgame at 41 as the final minute of the quarter began to wane.
The fourth quarter was no different to the highly contested battle of the previous three quarters. Fulwiley began it with a driving layup to push the Tigers’ lead to three, which would be extended to seven. Vanderbilt worked its way back and the remainder of the game went score-for-score.
As the final two minutes winded down, Blakes dropped five of the last eight points, putting the game away on a made free throw with nine seconds left.
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