By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
DURHAM, N.C. – No. 5 LSU’s NCAA record of eight straight 100-point games ended Thursday night.
But the Tigers stayed unbeaten at 9-0 in their first true test of the season, leaning on veterans Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams to hold off host Duke for a 93-77 victory in the ACC/SEC Challenge.
Johnson scored 13 of her game-high 18 points in the final two quarters while former Parkway High star Williams scored 10 of LSU’s 20 third-quarter points to finish with 14 points and a team-high seven assists.
Duke (3-6), which was ranked No. 7 in the preseason polls, shot to a 14-point lead in the game’s first 3:45, hitting three 3-pointers while the Tigers committed five of their season-high 18 turnovers.
“They jumped on us like white on rice,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said. “They shot it better than what we saw on film. We were poor in transition defense early, and they got some second-chance points.
“They came out smoking, but we finally settled in. I was very proud of my team because you can’t get all those points back quickly. Just stay the course. Keep grinding, keep getting better, keep defending.”
Possession by possession, especially after reserve guard MiLaysia Fulwiley entered the game, LSU flipped game momentum. Fulwiley had 14 first-half points of her game-total 16 points, including a driving layup with six seconds left in the second quarter for a 51-43 halftime lead.
Transfers Fulwiley (South Carolina), center Kate Koval (Notre Dame) and Amiya Joiner (East Carolina) combined for 43 points and 14 rebounds. Joiner and Koval scored 14 and 13 points respectively. Freshman Grace Knox added 14 points, hitting all four of her field goal and free throw attempts.
Ashlon Jackson led Duke with 16 points. Taina Mair and Toby Fournier had 14 each.
Bossier City’s Williams, who made just 1 of 3 field goals in the first half, took over the game for the Tigers in the third quarter. She scored seven points in a 1:24 stretch with a 3-pointer and a pair of mid-range jumpers.
Then, she sent her team into the final period with a 71-61 lead on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the third quarter.
Johnson grabbed the reins to close out the win, scoring 10 points in 10 minutes, including 3 of 4 3-pointers. She did it against Duke coach Kara Lawson, who played Johnson in limited minutes last summer when Lawson coached Johnson on the 2025 USA’s gold-medal winning Women’s AmeriCup Team in Santiago, Chile.
“I was happy for Flau’jae,” Mulkey said. “She’s had this date circled. She didn’t have a good experience with USA Basketball with Kara this summer.
“Kara had done a lot of wonderful things in her career. But when when you become a coach, whether it’s USA Basketball, LSU, or Duke, players aren’t always going to be happy and content.
“Flau’jae lost a lot of confidence this summer playing USA Basketball. My job when I get her back on campus is to bring her back to where she can help us do what we need to do.
“I had a conversation with her many times this summer. I had a conversation with her before we came here. I just winked at her, and I said, `Just be you. Do what you do for LSU. Don’t make it personal. Don’t try to be somebody you’re not. In that purple uniform, those three letters speak volumes.’”
The Tigers return to action on Sunday at 3 p.m. with a road game at the University of New Orleans.
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com