By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
BATON ROUGE – Before this season, it’s amazing that fifth-year LSU head women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey has averaged 30.5 wins with the Tigers while winning the 2023 national championship followed by Elite Eight appearances the last two seasons.
She’s somehow compensated for having virtually no bench play, with maybe at most three reserves playing vital minutes.
That all changed this year. After her first four Tigers’ squads averaged a cumulative 15.2 points and accounted for 18.5 percent of the scoring, Mulkey enters her 24th NCAA Tournament this afternoon at 5 p.m. vs. Jacksonville armed with one of the deepest benches of her career.
Thanks to an eight-player recruiting class (five freshmen, three transfers) in which almost everyone contributes, LSU leads the nation in bench scoring.
The Tigers’ bench is averaging 39.1 points, accounting for 41.4 percent of LSU’s nation-best 94.5 points per game.
So what’s the secret to getting highly-recruited freshmen and coveted transfers to be satisfied as non-starters?
“I feel like people on this team don’t care who gets to start the game,” said Notre Dame sophomore transfer forward Kate Koval, who has bounced in and out of the starting lineup depending on matchups. “It’s all about how you come into the game and bring something. Embrace your role, get a stop on defense and score a bucket when we need them.
“I feel like everybody has the mentality of embracing whatever their role in that game, and sometimes it changes from game to game.”
Mulkey, who began her storied college career at Louisiana Tech in 1980 off the bench as a freshman point guard, avoids using the word “bench.”
“I don’t really like using the word `bench’ because I remember when I played I came off the bench and I never liked that,” she said. “I’m as good as those out there on the floor. The coach just has to pick five at a time.
“That’s what my approach is. And depending on what we need when I start substituting, I’m confident in all of them that have seen significant minutes this year.”
The leader of LSU’s bench is South Carolina junior transfer guard MiLaysia Fulwiley, who won the SEC’s Sixth Man award for the second time in her career.
In her first season with the Tigers, she leads the team in scoring (14.6 points, compared to LSU’s entire bench average of 18.6 points last season). She’s averaging 22.7 minutes, the most of any reserve in Mulkey’s tenure in Baton Rouge.
LSU is 5-1 in its last six games because Fulwiley is averaging 21.3 points, 5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.5 blocked shots in that stretch.
Besides unselfishness and Fulwiley’s individual talent, LSU’s bench has excelled because of freshmen Grace Knox (8.9 points, 4.7 rebounds) and Bella Hines (2.1 ppg, 1.7 rebounds).
And don’t forget Zakiyah Johnson (9.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, an SEC All-Freshman, who has started 20 games and has come off the bench 11 times.
“Sometimes in a program like ours, and a lot of programs that are elite, freshmen usually have to learn new roles and wait their turn,” Mulkey said. “This freshman group didn’t.
“They’re significantly affecting our team from the time they got here. They’ve lived up to their billing.”
Knox said the transition to college for her and fellow freshmen has been less challenging because everyone has a specific role.
“Just knowing what you coaches put in for, whether it’s to rebound or play defense, enables you to be you and just play hard,” Knox said.
The Tigers will be facing a Jacksonville squad that has won 13 of its last 14 games, including the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament, to earn the automatic NCAA bid.
“We’re not a Cinderella team, right?” Jacksonville coach Special Jennings said. “We’re not a surprise. We didn’t sneak up. This didn’t happen by accident.
“We’ve been working hard all season. We’ve played a tough schedule. We’ve competed against multiple top 25 teams. They’ve put in the work. Not only have we won 13 games, but we also have a Player of the Year. I have a Freshman of the Year.”
Dolphins’ guard Priscilla Williams, the ASUN Player of the Year, promises her team won’t fold under the brightest spotlight of the season.
“We’ve been in environments like this before,” she said. “We played TCU. We’ve played Texas Tech and Georgia Tech. We’ve played high major teams before. We’re coming into the game as just another game to us. We’re not about the names.”
LSU is a 52½-point favorite. The winner between the Tigers and the Dolphins will play in Sunday’s second round against the winner of tonight’s second first-round game that matches Texas Tech and Villanova.
No. 2 seed LSU (27-5) vs. No. 15 seed Jacksonville (24-8), Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, today, 5 p.m. (ESPN)
LSU
Head coach: Kim Mulkey (773-129 in 26 seasons overall, 143-25 in five seasons at LSU).
Starting lineup: G Flau’Jae Johnson, 5-10, Sr. (13.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg), G Mikaylah Williams, 6-0, Jr. (13.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg), G Jada Richard, 5-7, So. (9.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg), G ZaKiyah Johnson, 6-2, Fr. (9.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg), F Amiya Joyner, 6-2, Sr. (9.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg)
Top reserves: G MiLaysia Fulwiley, 5-10, Jr. (14.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg), F Kate Koval, 6-5, So. (8.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg), F Grace Knox, 6-2, Fr. (8.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg), G Bella Hines, 5-10, Fr. (4.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg)
JACKSONVILLE
Head coach: Special Jennings (49-45 in 3 seasons overall and at Jacksonville
Starting lineup: G Priscilla Williams, 6-4, Gr. (15.4 ppg, 8.6 rpg), G Comari Mitchell, 5-8, So. (6.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg), F Carmayn Bowman, 5-10, Jr. (6.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg), G Makiya Miller, 5-7, Sr. (9.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg), F Tatum Brown, 5-6, Fr. (10 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
Top reserves: G Bailey Burns, 5-10, Jr. (6.4 ppg, 2 rpg), F Mariah Knight, 6-1, So. (4.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg), G Aniah Smith, 5-4, Fr. (7.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg)
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com