Da Boot Sports
11/25/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: LSU Staff


   GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands — Aneesah Morrow had 37 points and 16 rebounds as No. 7 LSU battled to a down-to-the-wire victory Saturday over Virginia, 76-73, as the Tigers finished the Cayman Islands Classic winning both of their games.

   LSU relied heavily on a small lineup most of the night with Sa’Myah Smith suffering a knee injury during Friday’s game. Aalyah Del Rosario, in Smith’s absence, got her first career start and played the most minutes of her young career as the Tigers needed her presence in the paint when they were not in the small lineup.

   “Maybe one of my prouder moments in coaching,” Coach Kim Mulkey said. “We were without Sa’Myah – didn’t expect that. We asked young ones to play out of position and to do some things that we haven’t worked on a whole heck of a lot. People say you coach to win championships and that’s the truth, but it’s much more than that to me. That was a happy locker room.”

​   Morrow recorded her second straight double-double and her second game in a row with over 25 points. She finished the Cayman Islands Classic averaging 32.5 points and 13.0 rebounds per game to earn a spot on the all-tournament team.

   Hailey Van Lith followed with 12 points on 4-12 from the field and a three-pointer. The transfer shared a team high 5 assists with fellow point guard Last Tear Poa.

   “Aneesah and Hailey bring experience to our team right now,” Coach Mulkey said. “They’re experience having played at the college level is helping us right now. What they don’t know about our system, they know about the toughness of the game at this level.”

   Flau’Jae Johnson scored just six points, but came through big on the boards with a career-high 15 rebounds.
Paris Clark led the Cavaliers with 19 points and she along with Jillian Brown both hauled in seven rebounds. Virginia’s nine made three pointers helped keep them in the game.

   Going into the third quarter no team led by more than five points throughout the game, but just over five minutes into the final quarter LSU had built a 10-point lead. Virginia quickly responded, getting multiple steals after going to a full court press and got the game within two with a minute left. LSU was able to make free throws throughout the final 60 second to put the game on ice.

​   “I thought we just persevered,” Coach Mulkey said. “We were resilient. So many teaching moments. They can only get better from here.”

   Del Rosario inserted herself quickly after getting the start, scoring the first bucket of the game. After Virginia tied things up at six Morrow regained the lead on an inside lay up off an inside assist from Johnson. The Cavaliers then went on a 6-0 run to take a 12-8 lead before the first media timeout. Following the break Van Lith nailed a corner three to put LSU back within one with four minutes remaining in the first. LSU traded buckets in the final minutes to end a competitive opening quarter with a 21-18 lead.

   Clark hit a deep three from the top of the key to knot things up at 21 twelve seconds into the second quarter. Virginia outscored LSU through the first three minutes of the quarter 8-4 as it connected on two threes in the first two minutes. Vaugh hit back-to-back threes to give the Cavaliers a two-point lead with four to go before the break. Poa assisted Morrow as she scored to make it 36-36 and bring her point total to 20 with just under three minutes before the half. Despite finishing 1-5 of its last 5 field goals the Tigers held UVA scoreless for the final 2:29 of the half. Both teams were tied at 38 heading into the break.

   The opening twenty minutes saw 10 ties and nine lead changes with neither team gaining a lead larger than four. 14 of Virginia’s points came off the bench. Aside from Morrow with 20 and Van Lith with 12, no other LSU player had more than two points in the first two quarters of action. Virginia’s Clark came off the bench to lead her squad with 15 points and account for 3 of 4 UVA steals.

​   The battle picked right back up where it left off as the third quarter started with LSU scoring six and Virginia scoring 5 all within the first three minutes of action. The Tigers held a 3-point lead at the media timeout after holding the Cavaliers scoreless for nearly two minutes. LSU’s Johnson blocked UVA’s Johnson three-point attempt that led to a Morrow put-back on the other end to take a 5-point lead, the largest of the night. The Tigers kept a slim lead of two as they went into the final quarter up 58-56.

​   LSU held the Cavaliers scoreless for the first two minutes of the quarter as it extended its lead to five points once again. Van Lith exited the game after an awkward fall and UVA three to put themselves a bucket away from the lead. LSU responded well as Poa earned her fifth assist of the night on an inside pass to Del Rosario. The Tigers forced a Cavs timeout after a 6-0 run put LSU up by eight. LSU went scoreless over a two-minute span as UVA made it a 3-point game with a minute left in regulation. Jillian Brown went 1-2 from the foul line to make it 71-73 with under a minute to play. Johnson and Morrow both sunk free throws in the final minute to help LSU secure the win.

​*John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

​Da Boot Sports
11/24/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: LSU Staff


   GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands — The No. 7 LSU women’s basketball team won its first game of the Cayman Islands Classic against Niagara, 99-65, in the John Gray Gymnasium Friday afternoon.

   LSU was forced to play with a small lineup most of the day after Sa’Myah Smith went down within the first five minutes of the game, suffering an apparent right knee injury. It is doubtful she will play Saturday against Virginia and will be evaluated further upon LSU’s return to Baton Rouge.

   “I thought considering we did not anticipate an injury to Sa’Myah who is playing her best basketball since she’s been at LSU,” Coach Kim Mulkey explained, “do you go big with a (big) freshman or do you go small with more experience. We chose to go small, and I thought we handled it beautifully. But Niagara plays that style where it’s okay to have small. Tomorrow (against Virginia) you may not be able to go small.”

​   That small lineup consisted mainly of Hailey Van Lith, Flau’Jae Johnson, Mikaylah Williams and Last-Tear Poa as the four guards along with Aneesah Morrow as the lone forward. The group played well off each other to the tune of 60 first half points. LSU had four double-figure scorers in the first half.

   Morrow and Van Lith led the Tigers with 28 and 20 points, respectively. It was the first game that both players reached the 20-point mark for the Tigers.

   Morrow led all scorers with 28 points and 10 rebounds to secure her second double-double this season. The Chicago native went 10-17 from the field and was a perfect 8-8 from the charity stripe. Morrow also led the team in steals with five, her third game in the past four with 5+ steals, and added two blocks.

   Van Lith also had her best outing as a Tiger with 20 points on 7-14 from the field. She also led the Tigers with seven assists to match her season high.

   Mikaylah Williams had 19 points. She battled foul trouble much of the day after putting up 10 points in the first quarter which kept her from scoring more. She continued to show the ability to score efficiently, sinking 75-percent of her shots. Flau’Jae Johnson scored 14 and grabbed 8 rebounds.

​   “I thought we were good in the first half,” said Coach Mulkey whose team scored 60 first half points. “I thought we were really good and handling – we had to improvise. You’re looking at four guards out there and we haven’t had to do much of that all year.”

   Niagara’s Chardonnay Hartley led her squad with 18 points on 5-14 from the field. Hartley led her team with 4 assists and 8 free throws. Destiny Strother was the only other player to reach double figures with 11.

   Both teams were in foul trouble for much of the game. Niagara had five players foul out while LSU had one foul out and three players who finished the game with four fouls. There was a total of 52 fouls in the game. LSU was 24-30 from the free-throw line compared to Niagara’s 15-21.

   LSU will play its second and final game of the Classic tomorrow afternoon at 4:00 p.m. CT as it takes on Virginia. The Tigers will return home for the SEC/ACC Challenge on Thursday at 8:00 p.m. CT to take on Virginia Tech. The Tigers defeated the Hokies in the semifinal game of last year’s national championship run.

​   Friday’s game was delayed from its scheduled 12:30 tip after the gymnasium was evacuated after a fire alarm sounded.

   After a Williams triple gave LSU the first points of the game Van Lith added to the total with a fast break layup on a steal at half court to make it 5-2. A 8-0 run put the Tigers up by 9 with just under five to play in the first. The LSU defense held Niagara scoreless for over three minutes before Porter snapped the stint with her first three-pointer of the day. After the first ten minutes LSU amassed a 14-point lead behind Williams’ ten first quarter points. Niagara became the first team to out rebound LSU as it did so 39-38.

  Last-Tear Poa forced Niagara’s 12th turnover as she drew an offensive foul for the second time two minutes into the second. LSU pieced together an 21-0 run as it held the Purple Eagles without a bucket for just under seven minutes. Aalyah Del Rosario scored her first points of the game off a Poa assist to push LSU past the 40-point mark. Morrow sank two free throws to extend the run to 20-0 and get into double figures. LSU finished the quarter making 9 of its last 10 shots from the field to take a 60-27 lead into the break as four players went into halftime with at least 10 points.

​   LSU went 21-31 from the field in the first half compared to Niagara’s 7-32. The Tigers combined for six blocks and six steals in the first half. Sa’Myah Smith had two blocks before leaving the game in the first quarter with an injury. Morrow accounted for half of the team’s steals.

   The Purple Eagles took advantage of a slow LSU start as they went on a 6-0 run to outscore the Tigers 12-10 in the opening six minutes of the third quarter. The Tiger defense went on to hold Niagara scoreless and take a 42-point lead into the final quarter.

   LSU’s lead was too much for Niagara in the final quarter. The Purple Eagles outscored the Tigers 26-18 in the fourth quarter for the first time. Del Rosario, Janae Kent, and Izzy Besselman all came off the bench to score in the final quarter. LSU finished just one point shy of the century mark, 99-65.

​*John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

Da Boot Sports
11/20/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: LSU Staff


   BATON ROUGE -- The No. 7 LSU women’s basketball team rolled past Texas Southern, 106-47, on Monday night inside the Pete Maravich Center in its fourth 100-point game of the season. 

   Flau’Jae Johnson led the Tigers in her second straight 17-point performance. The Sophomore added 8 rebounds to lead the team for the second game in a row and 5 steals. 

   Four other Tigers reached double figures as LSU shot 48-percent from the field. Anessah Morrow had 17 points and accounted for 7 of  LSU’s, season high, 22 steals. Morrow had 9 steals during Tuesday’s game against Kent State. Hailey Van Lith scored 16 points for the first time while wearing the purple and gold. 

   “We are playing faster because we are more comfortable knowing where each other are on the floor,” Van Lith said.

​   Freshman Mikaylah Williams earned 14 points with four threes in her fifth straight game in double figures. Aalyah Del Rosario also scored 10 points for the first time in her collegiate career. At one point in the game, Coach Kim Mulkey had a lineup that included all four freshmen along with Last-Tear Poa.

   “They bring joy about them that they are so excited to be at LSU, and they know that they are the future,” Coach Mulkey said of the freshmen heavy lineup. “Any minutes that they get, they don’t want to waste it. They don’t want to disappoint you. They want to do good.”

   “I feel good,” Del Rosario said. “I feel good that I gave my team all that I have. I gave all of my effort wherever it was needed.”

   LSU went 25-31 (80.6-percent) from the charity stripe for its most free throws in any game this season. Last-Tear Poa (4-5) and Del Rosario (4-4) scored four from the line while Johnson (3-3), Van Lith (3-3), Williams (2-2), and Morrow (1-1) were all perfect from the line.  

   LSU forced 35 turnovers, the most since a game against McNeese in 2018, the included 22 steals and the Tigers scored 48 points off the turnovers. LSU was dominant in the paint, scoring 60 points there.

​   “​​I do like the activity we have going on,” Coach Kim Mulkey said of the team’s defensive effort. “I like their perseverance, their resolve right now.”

   LSU will spend its Thanksgiving break at the Cayman Island Classic with games against Niagara on Friday and against Virginia on Saturday. Friday’s game will be at 12:30 p.m. CT and Saturday’s contest is slated for 4:00 p.m. CT. All games will be played in George Town, Cayman Islands at the John Gray Gymnasium and streamed on FloHoops. 

   After TSU took a 4-2 lead to start the game a Williams triple sparked a 5-0 LSU run. Galban tied things back up at 7 with a three of her own at the seven minute mark. LSU came out of the media timeout on an 8-0 run that was capped off by a coast-to-coast, and-one finish from Van Lith. Van Lith and Johnson led the Tigers as they combined for 15 to give LSU a 26-11 lead after the opening ten minutes.  

   LSU took a 19-point lead as it forced turnover number 15 through the first four minutes of the second quarter. Through the first five minutes of the quarter Johnson and Morrow had accumulated 8 of the Tigers’ 10 second quarter points. LSU held TSU scoreless for the final three minutes of the second quarter as it ended on a 15-1 run to take a 31-point lead into the break. 

​   Van Lith led all scorers in the first 20 minutes with 12. The transfer was 4-8 from the field, 1-1 from three, and 3-3 from the foul line. Johnson added 11 and led the team off the glass with 5. Morrow was the third Tiger to reach double figures in the opening half with 10. Morrow also added 6 steals in her 18 minutes of action in the first half. LSU earned 15 steals as a team.

   TSU had 22 turnovers in the first half and no players with more than 5 points. Belton and Galban combined for 10 of TSU’s 18 first half points. Each player had 5. 

   After trading buckets for the opening two minutes of the third quarter, LSU went on a 11-0 run to push its lead past 40. Williams hit back-to-back threes before Lawson snapped the streak with TSU’s third three-pointer of the night. LSU held TSU without a field goal for over three minutes in the back half of the third quarter. Williams scored 9 in the third to bring her total to 14 and Del Rosario reached 8 points for the first time in her career. LSU went into the final quarter with a 85-31 advantage. 

​   LSU opened the final quarter similar to the third as it traded field goals with TSU in the opening two minutes. TSU called a timeout with three minutes remaining as LSU broke past the century mark off two made free throws from Del Rosario. Izzy Besselman and Del Rosario made more free throws late to secure the 59-point victory.

Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi

​*John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

Da Boot Sports
11/17/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: LSU Staff


   ​HAMMOND, La. -- Flau’Jae Johnson led the Tigers past Southeastern, 73-50, on Friday night in head coach Kim Mulkey’s return to Tangipahoa parish as she secured her first double-double of the season. Johnson led all scorers with 17 points with 11 rebounds and 4 steals. 

   “Flau’Jae is recovering from the flu and she’s come off the bench like a superstar,” Coach Mulkey said. “That’s what I tell kids all the time – it’s not about starting, it’s about production. She was our spark against Kent State. She was our spark tonight.”

   There was a record crowd inside the Pride Roofing University Center of 7,500 to see Coach Mulkey in her homecoming.

​   “Let’s talk about this great crowd,” Coach Mulkey said. “Kudos to Southeastern, their athletic department. I was proud of Southeastern. I was proud of my team. I was proud of everybody in that arena. When I took the job at LSU, I said I wanted to come back to this state and be a positive and I felt like tonight, this was a positive for women’s basketball in our state.”

   Three other tigers eclipsed double figures in LSU’s 23-point win over the Lady Lions. Mikaylah Williams dropped 13 after breaking the LSU freshman scoring record on Tuesday earlier this week. Hailey Van Lith added 12 on 5-7 from the field with 2 three-pointers.

   Transfer Annesah Morrow wasn’t the only player to earn her first double-double of the season. She joined Johnson as she put up 10 points and 10 boards in her fifth game at LSU. Last-Tear Poa broke a record of her own as she had a career-high six rebounds.  

   SLU’s Hailey Giaratano, a distant relative of Coach Mulkey’s, and Kennedy Paul each had 12 points to lead their squad. Giaratano went 4-14 and added 4 rebounds while Paul was 5-10 with a three and six boards. 

​   The Tigers totaled 41-percent from the field compared to SLU’s 37-percent. LSU out rebounded SLU 44-29 and scored 34 points in the paint. LSU made 17 of its 20 free throws while the Lady Lions only made 5-9. The game was tied four times but LSU never trailed and had its largest lead of 29. 

   “Angel (Reese) was not in uniform tonight,” Coach Mulkey said. “Angel is a part of our basketball team and we hope to see her sooner than later.”

   LSU will return to action on Monday night as it hosts Texas Southern at 7:00 p.m. inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center as the team travels to the Cayman Islands Classic over the Thanksgiving break.  The Tigers are slated to play Niagara on Friday at 12:30 p.m. and Virginia on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.

​   The Tigers battled early as SLU hit three-pointers on its first two attempts from the field to tie it up 6-6. After things were knotted up 8-8, Williams and Johnson combined for a 8-2 run to make it 16-10 with four to play.

   LSU extended its lead to 10 as it held the Lady Lions scoreless for the final five minutes of the opening quarter. 

   LSU extended its margin through the start of the second as four Tigers scored in the first three minutes of the quarter. Johnson crashed the offensive board for a put back lay to push LSU to the 30-point mark. Rebounds on the offensive glass allowed LSU to keep at least a ten point lead for the most of the quarter. SLU outscored the Tigers 21-20 in the second to head into the break down by 9. 

   LSU scored 14 of its first half points from the free throw line and 16 of its total was secured inside the paint. SLU was 4-9 from three point range while LSU connected on 2-9. The Tigers hauled in 22 boards and only allowed SLU to pick up 3 of its rebounds on the offensive glass. Johnson came off the bench to lead all players with 11 points on 5-7 and 7 rebounds.

​   The Tigers held its lead as they did not allow an SLU field goal in the first five minutes of action. LSU earned its largest lead of the night as it outscored SLU 12-2 in the first five minutes of the Third quarter. After the media timeout Johnson found Van Lith in the corner for a pull-up trey and gave LSU a 22-point advantage. Johnson followed a play later with a coast to coast finish to bring her total to 17. LSU went on to hold the Lady Lions without a free throw until the final minute of the quarter. The Tigers headed into the final quarter with a 62-38 lead. 

​   Johnson secured her first double-double of the season with just under eight minutes to play as she picked up her sixth defensive rebound, tenth total. Van Lith eclipsed double digits as she hit her second trey of the night to add 12 points total for LSU. The Tigers were outscored 12-11 in the final quarter but its 22-7 third quarter boosted LSU to its fourth straight victory.

​*John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

Da Boot Sports
11/14/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: LSU Staff


   BATON ROUGE -- Mikaylah Williams set the NCAA-era LSU freshman scoring record with 42 points on Tuesday afternoon in the PMAC during the annual Field Trip Game, as the Tigers took down Kent State, 109-79.

   Williams was 15-20 from the field including 5-8 from three with 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Totaling 42 points, she set the NCAA era LSU freshman record and became just the 11th player in program history to total over 40 points and the first since Cornelia Gayden set the LSU scoring record with 49 points (2/9/1995).

   Maree Jackson had games of 45 (vs. UNLV on Feb. 12, 1977) and 44 points (vs. Northwestern State in the AIAW State Tournament on Feb. 26, 1977) as a freshman in 1976-77.

​   “I wouldn’t say I wanted the ball every time,” Williams said. “My teammates just knew that I had the hot hand so I applaud them for getting me the ball. I was just executing on the shots.”

   “She’s a special talent,” coach Kim Mulkey said of Williams. “It was one of those moments where the rim feels as big as the ocean.”

   Aneesah Morrow was close to an unusual double-double. She had 17 points and 9 steals, one shy of tying the LSU record. She also had 8 rebounds to push her close to a triple-double with 2 blocks and 2 assists as well.

    “I’m very active on defense, and coming here to LSU I had a goal to do better defensively. Just knowing that I’m undersized in the post and trying to play on the three. Just capitalizing and being versatile on the court.”

   Hailey Van Lith, Angel Reese and Flau’Jae Johnson also scored in double figures for the Tigers.

   Kent State’s Katie Shumate totaled 22 points as she went 4-6 from beyond the three-point-line. Other Golden Flashes to reach double figures were Jenna Batsch and Bridget Dunn with 16 and 11, respectively. 

   Coach Mulkey will return home to Tangipahoa Parish on Friday night as LSU is poised to go on the road to face Southeastern at 7 p.m. CT inside Pride Roofing University Center.

   The Tigers will hit the road for the second time this season as coach Mulkey will make her return to Tangipahoa parish as LSU takes on Southeastern Louisiana on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. inside the Pride Roofing University Center in Hammond.  

   LSU went 42-74 for 57-percent from the field compared to Kent State’s 26-60, 43-percent. The Golden Flashes out-shot the Tigers from deep as they totaled 14 to LSU’s six. LSU scored 42 of its points off turnovers and only gave up 13 takeaways. The Tigers used its size advantage down low as LSU scored 58 of its points inside the paint. 

   Kent State’s Dunn kept things close early by knocking down two threes in the opening three minutes to match the Tigers total and make it 6-6. Kent State held an 11-8 lead at the first media timeout after the lead changed three times in the opening five minutes. A fast break assist from Williams gave Reese her first bucket of the game for a three-point-play that tied the game at 13. Williams went 2-2 from the foul line to bring the Tigers within one to end the opening quarter, 17-16. 

​   Made layups from Morrow and Williams to open the second quarter gave LSU its first lead since two minus into the game. Reese added four points of her own to make it a 8-0 run as the Tigers went up 24-18. Shumate put the flashes back within one as she scored five unanswered just before the media timeout. SMith and Reese combined for all but two of LSU’s remaining points in the half. The Tigers took a 2-point lead into the break, 30-37.

   The Golden Flashes lit up the three point line in the opening half as they went 7-16 for an impressive 43.8-percent. LSU was 0-6 from beyond the arc. Shumate led all scores with 17 points on 5-11, with 4 triples. Reese and Williams were the only LSU players in double figures through the first half, 11 and 10 respectively.

   After Kent State regained the lead in the first minute and a half of third quarter play, Williams hit LSU’s first three of the game to take a two-point advantage. LSU built upon this lead to go on a 14-2 run and take an 11-point lead into the media timeout. Williams marked a new career high of 22 as she hit a top of the key jumper to give LSU its largest lead of the night, 15. 

​   LSU scored seven points in the first 50 seconds of the final quarter to go up by 22 and force a Kent State timeout. Williams and Van Lith went on to combine for 28 of LSU’s 38 fourth quarter points. The Tigers cruised to a 30-point win as LSU marked its third straight game breaking the century mark.

​*John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

Da Boot Sports
11/12/2023
LSU Sports Information
By: LSU Staff


​   BATON ROUGE -- Sa’Myah Smith scored 21-points for the second straight game to tie a career-high and recorded her second career double-double with 11 boards to power LSU past MVSU, 109-47, Sunday in the PMAC.

   “I worked on improving my jumping ability,” said Smith, who stayed in Baton Rouge over the summer to work on her game. “The consistent work I put in over the summer definitely helped, knowing what I can do and being confident in myself gives me all the motivation I need to produce results. I also worked on improving my jump shot. My main focus was finding a way to stay consistent.”

   Angel Reese recorded the 37th double-double in 39 total games at LSU as she passed Ayana Mitchell for the second most double-doubles in program history. She had 14 points and 10 rebounds to record her 10th straight double-double and while adding 4 assists.

​   Other Tigers to reach double digits include Mikaylah Williams, Annesah Morrow, and Hailey Van Lith. Williams scored 20 points for the first time in her collegiate career as she lit up the three point line on 5-6 from deep. Morrow added 14 with 5 rebounds and 3 blocks. Van Lith totaled 11 points and had a game-high 6 assists with just one turnover. Ten of LSU’s 12 players who saw the court scored in the game.

   Flau’Jae Johnson was out Sunday with an illness so LSU introduced its third unique starting lineup in as many games this season with Van Lith, Williams, Poa, Smith and Reese.

   At halftime of the game, Mulkey gifted seven of her former coaches national championship rings. The coaches ranged from junior-high to AAU to high school to college and she played for all of them inside the state of Louisiana. A full list of who she gifted rings to can be found at the bottom of this release with a bio of each of them. 

   “On a personal level, having those coaches on the floor shows what they mean to me,” Mulkey said. “I think that particular group on the floor meant a lot to the state of Louisiana. That was women’s basketball royalty, and a lot of them didn’t get the recognition that women’s basketball gets now. There were a lot of wins on that floor.”

   Sh’Diamond McKnight led MVSU with 21 points on 8-22 from the field and 2 three-pointers. No other Devilette had more than 5 points. Four Devilettes fouled out Sunday afternoon. 

​   The Tigers went 55-percent (36-66) from the field compared to MVSU’s 24-percent (17-70). LSU scored its most threes of the season with six, five from Williams and one from Morrow. The Tigers won the battle on the boards as it out-rebounded MVSU 59-33. Sunday’s victory scoring 109 points marked LSU’s second game in a row eclipsing the century mark. 

   LSU’s physicality on the court overpowered MVSU. The Tigers went to the line for 50 free-throws, tied for the second most in program history although they only made 62-percent of their shots from the charity stripe.
LSU will be back in action on Tuesday at 11 a.m. CT for its annual field trip game as the Tigers take on Kent State.

   After going down by four to start the game, the Tigers pieced together an 11-0 run to take a seven point lead into the media timeout. Reese accounted for eight of the points in the run while Williams added a three.  LSU forced a MVSU timeout with just under two minutes in the first after a 10-0 run where the Tigers went 5-5 from the field. After the opening ten minutes of action the Tigers took a 29-9 lead into the second quarter. 

   Williams hit her fourth three-pointer of the game to extend the LSU lead and give her 14 points with five minutes to play in the half. After Turner three put the Devilettes past the 20-point mark Morrow scored four straight that was capped off a strong fast break finish. The Tigers outscored MVSU 21-14 in the second quarter to take a 50-23 lead into the half. 

​   Three Tigers finished the first half with double figures to total for 35 of LSU’s 50 points in the first half. Williams had 14 points on 4-5 from deep, Reese had 11 with six rebounds, and Smith scored 10 with five boards. LSU was 48-percent from the field compared to the Devilettes’ 27-percent. 

   The third quarter opened with a team effort as the Tigers extended its lead to 38 in the first five minutes of the half. LSU held the Delta Devils scoreless for over three minutes in the third quarter. Williams hit her fifth triple of the night to bring her total to 20 and set a new career high. Smith earned her third block of the night and then found Van Lith in transition who finished down low to give the Tigers a 50-point lead. The 34 points scored in the third was the most totaled in any quarter this season.

   After splitting the opening three minutes of the fourth with MVSU 5-5, Reese picked up her tenth rebound of the night and heaved a full-court pass to Van Lith who finished on the other end. The rebound secured Reese’s 37th career double-double. LSU followed with a 10-0 run to bring its lead to 57 with six minutes to go. Freshman, Angelica Velez came off the bench in the final quarter to score six and extend the LSU lead to 62. 

   At halftime of Sunday’s game, Coach Mulkey presented 2023 National Championship rings to the coaches she played for in Louisiana growing up:

​Ms. Fairy Hannible: 
Ms. Hannible was Coach Mulkey’s 7th & 8th grade coach at Hammond Jr. High.  Her 8th grade team was undefeated and started the playing and coaching legacy that was to follow.

Gayle Montalvo:
Coach of her 1977 AAU team that was undefeated and won the State AAU Tournament. Along with her AAU program and Basketball Camp that she ran for 50 years, she was a highly successful coach at the high school level having coached at the Academy of Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau, Opelousas High, Carencro High, Northside and others having won over 1,400 games.

Charlie Domino:
Domino’s AAU club was her team for four years and was Coached by Charlie Domino. These teams were very successful, highlighted by two AAU National Championships.

​Mary Jo Castell:
Mary Jo Castell was her Freshman and Sophomore Coach at Hammond High School. State Championships were won both seasons. Coach Castell left Hammond High School and became the Head Coach at what is now the University of Louisiana Lafayette.

Iwana McGee:
Coach Iwana McGee was her coach at Hammond High School her Junior and Senior seasons.  The Tors finished both seasons as State Champions. Coach McGee later became the Head Coach at Lamar University.  Iwana passed away in 2008. Accepting on behalf of Coach McGee were her sisters Barbara McGee and Carol King.
 
Sonja Hogg:
When the Louisiana Tech Women’s Basketball Program was founded in 1974, Sonja Hogg was appointed Head Coach.  Coach Hogg recruited Kim out of Hammond High convincing her to continue her career at Louisiana Tech University. Mulkey always wanted to play with the best and for the best and found that in Ruston. During Kim’s career as a player, Coach Hogg’s Lady Techsters reached the Final 4 all four years winning 2 National Championships.  Coach Hogg is a member of the Louisiana Tech Hall of Fame, The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

​Leon Barmore:
Coach Leon Barmore was associated with Coach Mulkey for 22 years as either a player or coach.  Not only was he an assistant coach during her playing days at Tech but upon being named Head Coach at Louisiana Tech appointed her as an assistant coach and later Associate Head Coach. Along with the National Championships as an assistant coach with Kim as a player, Coach Barmore also won a National Championship as the Head Coach with Kim on his staff. A few years after Coach Mulkey was hired at Baylor, she asked Coach Barmore to join her staff where he coached for three seasons reaching another Final 4. Coach Barmore is a member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

​*John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

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Da Boot Sports
11/9/2023
By: Jason Watson Jr.


   BATON ROUGE, LA - The Pete Maravich Assembly Center hosted a raucous crowd on Thursday night as the LSU Women’s Basketball team held their 2023 NCAA Div I WBB Ring Ceremony and Championship Banner unveiling. The Lady Tigers defeated the Royals 112-54, more than doubling the score allowed. 

   After all the festivities were complete, this year’s edition of the Fightin’ Tigers took the court versus the Queens University of Charlotte Royals. The PMAC was electric as stars Flau’Jae Johnson, Angel Reese, and transfer Hailey Van Lith were announced in starting lineups. 

​   LSU won the tip and quickly got on the board with an easy inside layup from Sa’Myah Smith for 2. Improved rebounding was on display while the Tigers gathered six boards within the first three minutes of the contest. Reese got to the charity stripe early and often and converted her first six free throw attempts before checking out of the game for the first time. 

   Although LSU scored 30+ in the opening quarter, the Royals’ three-point shooting kept the deficit manageable. After ten minutes, the Lady Tigers led 33-20. 

   As the second quarter got underway, Johnson continued to show off her defensive prowess by collecting steals and blocks, which led to the crowd erupting. 

  An emotional timeout moment was on show for coach Kim Mulkey as she literally presented longtime teammate and friend Janice Lawrence Braxton with her flowers. Janice is recognized widely as one of the best basketball players from Louisiana. She was a member of the Lady Techsters’ championship squads with Mulkey and aided the USA in claiming the gold medal in the 1984 Pan American Games. 

   Mulkey, the coaching staff, and veteran players must have lit a fire under the team. LSU was stifling defensively in the second frame, holding Queens to just 10 points of offense and extending their halftime lead to 26. Reese sat at 21 points and nine boards. Smith had a solid 11 PTS and 6 REB showing. 

​   56-30 shown on the scoreboard as the next half began. Lith had a tough night shooting the ball to this point but was stuffing the stat sheet with three assists. Sa’Myah Smith came out of the locker rooms on fire, adding six more to her point total. 

   The “Bayou Barbie” collected her tenth and eleventh rebounds of the game to earn her second double-double in as many games to begin the young season. Aneesah Morrow was hot off the bench, piling in 16 points. 
LSU outscored the Royals by 10 in the third frame. The Tigers led 86-50 heading to the fourth.

   The final quarter was much of the same as the previous three. The Tigers dominated all facets of the game and had ten players find the bottom of the net. LSU finished the game shooting 63% from the field and 82% from the free throw line. They held Queens to 32% on the night. It was an overall great team effort in the victory. 

​   LSU beat Queens because they were supposed to. The Royals got outmatched, outnumbered, and outplayed. Many fans and Tigers supporters were concerned with a stumble out the gate after the women fell to #20 Colorado to open the season. Breathe. There is no need to worry; this LSU team is DEEP. Strap in, basketball fans; we are in for a fun and exciting season. Geaux Tigers!
​

Photos By: Michael Bacigalupi

Photos Below By: Jonathan Mailhes

​*John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

Da Boot Sports
11/6/2023
LSUSports Information
By: LSU Staff


​   LAS VEGAS — The No. 1 LSU women’s basketball team fell to No. 20 Colorado in its season opener, 92-78, in T-Mobile Arena at the Hall of Fame Series on Monday night.

   “You can live with poor shooting,” Coach Kim Mulkey said. “You can live with just a tough night offensively. What I don’t live with is just guts and fight and physical play and you got that dog in you. I just didn’t think we had that tonight. 

   “This is not going to devastate us. The sky is not falling.”

   LSU’s first home game will be on Thursday, November 9 against Queens (NC). Prior to that game, set to tipoff at 7 p.m. CT, LSU will receive its national championship rings and raise the national championship banner in the PMAC. Doors for that game will open at 5:30 and the ceremony will begin at 6:20.

   Returning national champions Angel Reese and Flau’Jae Johnson led the starting five in game one. The duo was joined by transfers Annesah Morrow and Hailey Van Lith, and true freshman Mikaylah Williams. 

​   Williams played well in her college debut for the Tigers with 17 points on 50-percent shooting. Sa’Myah Smith also played critical minutes off the bench, going for 16 points. Reese had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds while Van Lith scored 14 in her LSU debut with three triples.

   Colorado’s Frida Formann led all players in scoring with a career-high 27 points on 9-14 from the field with 7 three-pointers. The Denmark native led a Colorado trio joined by Aaronette Vonleh who scored 24 and Jaylyn Sherrod who added 19. The trio combined for 70 of the Buffalo’s 92 points. 

   “I thought (Colorado) shot the ball good from three,” Coach Mulkey said about the Buffaloes. “I thought they just were poised, polished. I thought they were hungry.”

   Colorado connected on 33 of its 62 field goal attempts to total 53-percent compared to LSU’s 44-percent. The Tigers allowed 10 Colorado three-pointers and only made four of its own. Both teams went 16-24 from the foul line.

​   Van Lith broke a two minute LSU scoring drought with a catch-and-shoot three as the shot clock expired to put LSU within one, 5-6. Van Lith followed with another triple to give LSU its first lead of the game. Morrow went coast to coast a possession later to advance the Tiger run to 8-0 before the media timeout. Williams dropped a defender inside the paint and pulled up for two as she secured the first points of her collegiate career to make it 14-10, LSU. Smith scored off an offensive board to regain the lead, 16-14, before the end of the first quarter. 

   Colorado knotted things up at 16 to start the second quarter with two made free throws from Formann. A Van Lith steal tallied turnover number eleven by the Buffaloes with just under seven to play in the half. Van Lith was fouled on the shot and went on to make both shots from the foul line. After two missed free throws from Reese, Colorado extended its run to 6-0 and tied the game at 24 with 4:18 to play. Resse snapped an 11-1 Buffalo run with an off hand hook shot to make it 32-27, Colorado. Williams scored on back-to-back possessions that was capped off with a pull-up three to put LSU within four. LSU trailed by six heading into the break, 38-32. 

   The Tigers shot 12-36 (33-percent) from the field compared to Colorado’s 14-30 (47-percent) in the first 20 minutes of action. LSU gave up 11 points off turnovers and was outscored in the paint 22-18. The active Tiger defense forced 12 Colorado turnovers and finished the first half tied in rebounds at 22. 

​   A Sadler layup was followed by a Formann triple to extend the Colorado lead to eleven. Johnson responded with a trey of her own to record her first bucket of the game. Williams kept the Tigers within double figures as she hit her fifth shot of the game just before the media timeout. Morrow went 2-2 from the charity stripe with 5:30 to play in the third and cut the lead to seven, 48-41. Both teams traded buckets in the final minutes of the third quarter. Vonleh and Formann accounted for Colorado’s last 14 points of the third. Poa made two free throws at the end of the third to make it 63-51 Colorado with one quarter remaining. 

​   LSU’s Williams continued to score as LSU battled early in the fourth before Colorado started to heat up. The Buffaloes went on a 11-0 run over two minutes to extend it lead to as far as 22 with six minutes remaining. Reese snapped the run as she secured her double-double with a put-back layup to make it 77-57. Colorado’s Formann achieved a career high 27-points as she hit her seventh three-pointer of the night to make it 81-62 at the media timeout. Smith scored on back-to-back possessions with an and-one turnaround and a pullup jumper to bring it back within 15. The Buffalo lead would amount too much for the Tiger comeback and LSU would go on to fall in its season opener, 92-78.

​*John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior)

CARDIO HEALTH SOLUTIONS
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The company who cares for your heart and what your heart cares for!!

Cardio Health Solutions (CHS) utilizes PET and CPET technology to detect all forms of cardiovascular disease even in its earliest stage. We also provide financing, support, and management services to practices interested in exploring the functional capacity of their patients through detection and ancillary imaging.

GEAUX to https://www.cardiohealthsolutions.net/ for more information, or call 1-800-578-0654​

Da Boot Sports
11/1/2023
LSU Sports Information
By: LSU Staff


   BATON ROUGE -- The No. 1 LSU women’s basketball team took down Loyola of New Orleans 121-36 on Wednesday night inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center for its final tune-up game ahead of the 2023-24 season.

   Thursday night LSU will host a watch party for Piece By Piece in the PMAC, the documentary about LSU’s 2023 National Championship in the PMAC. Doors will open at 7 p.m. CT with the documentary set to begin at 8. The documentary will also air live on LSU.GOLD, but fans in attendance at the PMAC will have the chance to win exclusive prizes.

   The Tigers will open their season on Monday in the Hall of Fame Series against No. 20 Colorado in Las Vegas. LSU’s first home game will be on November 9 against Queens (NC). Prior to that game, set to tipoff at 7 p.m. CT, LSU will receive its national championship rings and raise the national championship banner in the PMAC. Doors for that game will open at 5:30 and the ceremony will begin at 6:20.

​   Coach Mulkey started what looks to be the normal lineup on Wednesday night. LSU was led by returners Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson. Transfers Hailey Van Lith and Anessah Morrow joined the starting lineup and freshman Mikaylah Williams rounded out the starting five. 

   All 13 players saw action in the exhibition. Seven of them reached double figures and all 13 scored. 
Williams led all scorers with 20 points on 8-10 from the field and 4-6 from beyond the arc. The Freshman added three rebounds and three assists. 

   Johnson scored 15 on a perfect 6-6 from the field, Van Lith recorded 13 and added five assists, Del Rosario scored 16, Poa had 12, Morrow dropped 11, and Reese scored ten through her 18 minutes of action. 
Sophomore Sa’Myah Smith led the team off the glass with 14 total rebounds. 

   Transfer, Morrow, was the only Tiger to record a double-double. The Chicago native scored 11 points and hauled in 12 rebounds. 

​   LSU opened up the night with a 15-0 run on 6-7 from the field that saw buckets from all five starters. At the media timeout Johnson led the way with 8 points on 3-3 from the field and perfect from the foul line. Williams and Morrow hit back-to-back threes out of the break to put LSU up 26-5 with just under four minutes to go. After Johnson scored five unanswered on a three and a fast break Williams ended the first quarter with a turnaround jumper to put the Tigers up by 30. 

   The Tigers brought out a new starting five to start the second that featured returners Sa’Myah Smith, Last-Tear Poa, and Kateri Poole. Freshmen Aaliyah Del Rosario and Janae Kent joined the trio. 

   Del Rosario pushed the Tigers past the 50-point mark with a solo 4-0 run. The fresh squad forced five turnovers through the first five minutes of the quarter. The Freshman led LSU through the second quarter with her 10 points and 7 boards in nine minutes. The Tigers finished the second on a 12-0 run and took a 63-16 lead into the break. 

​   Van Lith opened the third quarter with her first three-pointer of the night.  Williams followed a possession later with a triple of her own. LSU held the Wolfpack to 0 of 8 through a five and a half minute scoring drought. Williams sank her fourth three of the night to push her total to 20 and force a Loyola timeout with 1:38 remaining in the quarter. The Tigers built up a 65-point lead in the third to enter the final quarter up 94-29. 

   LSU broke the century mark as Poole gave up an open three and found Poa underneath the rim for an easy lay to go up 100-31. Poa followed with two made free throws and another lay up to extend the LSU run to 10-0. The Tigers held the Wolfpack to 0-10 in a 6:30 minute scoring drought that saw a 21-0 run. LSU finished the night 6 of its last 6 to extend its margin to an 82-point victory. ​

Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi