BATON ROUGE – No. 9 LSU women's basketball completed its exhibition schedule Thursday night with a convincing 119-54 victory over Loyola of New Orleans at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Seven Tigers scored in double figures as Kim Mulkey's squad used relentless defensive pressure and balanced scoring to pull away from the Wolf Pack.
Senior guard Mikaylah Williams led LSU with 23 points, five assists and three steals. Sophomore ZaKiyah Johnson followed with 22 points, while MiLaysia Fulwiley and freshman Lola Lampley contributed 16 apiece.
Grace Knox and Laila Reynolds each scored 12 points, and freshman Anna Minaeva added 10 in her first appearance for the Tigers.
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Minaeva, who had missed time during the preseason, entered the game with 54 seconds remaining in the opening quarter. The freshman finished 3-of-4 from the field, grabbed five rebounds and drew five fouls, earning 10 trips to the free-throw line.
Mulkey was particularly encouraged by Minaeva's return and her understanding of the game.
“I just want her on that floor every day, and she hasn't been for the last couple of weeks,” Mulkey said.
The LSU coach praised Minaeva's basketball intelligence and willingness to ask questions despite adjusting to a new language and environment.
Knox also pointed to Minaeva's return as an important development for a team still building chemistry.
“I think we’re still gelling as a team,” Knox said. “Being able to run the floor and having Anna [Minaeva] back today, I feel like she's a big piece to our squad.”
Defense fuels another lopsided victory
LSU's defensive pressure was a major factor throughout the contest.
The Tigers forced 36 Loyola turnovers and converted those mistakes into 48 points. LSU recorded 22 steals, including eight by Fulwiley, while Knox accounted for three of the team's five blocked shots.
After a relatively slow start, LSU held a 13-6 advantage at the first media timeout. The Tigers then took control with a 13-2 run and finished the opening quarter leading 26-8.
LSU continued to build its advantage in the second period, taking a commanding 61-20 lead into halftime.
Williams scored 14 of her 23 points before the break, while Johnson and Fulwiley each contributed 13 first-half points.
The Tigers maintained their offensive production after halftime, stretching their lead to 78-29 midway through the third quarter.
LSU entered the final period ahead 90-38 before closing out the 65-point victory.
Nine Tigers saw action in the exhibition, with seven reaching double figures.
Regular season begins Monday
With exhibition play complete, LSU will turn its attention to the 2026-27 regular season.
The Tigers host Southeastern Louisiana on Monday, November 2, at 6 p.m. CT inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The game will be televised on SEC Network, with Chuckie Kempf handling play-by-play and Christy Thomaskutty serving as analyst.
Patrick Wright and Shaeeta Williams will provide radio coverage on the LSU Sports Radio Network.
Watch head coach Kim Mulkey's complete postgame press conference in the video above as LSU prepares to begin the 2026-27 season.
