By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
NEW ORLEANS – The only suspense for No. 5 LSU as the final buzzer neared here Monday night was if the Tigers could tie the school record of scoring 100 or more points in five consecutive games.
They did, thanks to the defensive brilliance of South Carolina transfer MiLaysia Fulwiley.
Her eighth steal – tied for the third most steals in a game in LSU history – led to her free throw with 26 seconds that got the Tigers to 100 in a 101-71 victory at Tulane.
After LSU jumped to a 33-10 lead at the end of the quarter, the first question was which Tiger would have the best individual night.
Returning All-SEC stars Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams of Bossier City and Parkway High were rock solid as usual, scoring 22 and 16 points respectively.
ZaKiyah Johnson’s inside work resulted in 14 points and 5 rebounds, and Amiya Joyner came off the bench to score 12 points and collect a team-high 7 rebounds.
But nobody seemed to be everywhere at once like Fulwiley. She scored 20 points, dealt 6 assists, grabbed 3 rebounds, and swiped all those steals that equaled Tulane’s team total for the night.
“She’s out there like she’s playing a video game,” Tulane head coach Ashley Langford said of Fulwiley.
“Her will to have the ball is just an amazing thing to see,” Williams said. “I’m glad she’s on my side.”
Though the Tigers were tested a bit at times – LSU only outscored Tulane (2-2) 69-61 in the final three quarters – head coach Kim Mulkey used LSU’s big early lead to experiment with some different lineups and use a full-court pressing defense for the first time this season.
“The thing they’re doing so good right now,” Mulkey said of her team, “is they’re sharing the basketball. And if you watch them, they’re they’re cheering for each other.
“It’s amazing when you can go to work every day and you don’t have to worry about pouters and you don’t have to worry about selfishness. You’re just happy for them, and they pick on each other when they do something funny or crazy.
“I’ve got a very, very unique and good combination of older players in that locker room and new ones. We just got to keep getting better.”
The Tigers will host Alcorn State on Thursday night. It’s LSU’s last home game until Dec. 16 when they face Morgan State.
After Alcorn, LSU plays in the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. LSU plays Marist and Miami of Ohio faces Washington State on Nov. 28. The winners and losers of those games play the next day.
The Tigers also play at Duke on Dec. 4 in the ACC/SEC Challenge, then play at UNO on Dec. 7 and vs. Mulkey’s alma mater Louisiana Tech on Dec. 13 in the Compete 4 Cause Classic in the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
“That’s fun basketball,” Mulkey said of her deep and talented team. We can score the ball. We can also pass the ball, so you better have your hands ready. We’ve just got to make free throws, continue to rebound and take care of the ball.”
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com