BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU women’s basketball will return to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Thursday when the Tigers host Langston at 7 p.m. CT for the program’s second of two exhibition games prior to the start of the 2025-26 season.
The LSU-Langston exhibition game is free for fans to attend inside the Maravich Center. Fans can listen to the action on the LSU Sports Radio Network with Patrick Wright and Shaeeta Williams on the radio call. The contest can also be streamed on SEC Network + as a simulcast with Wright and Williams calling the game.
LSU will host Houston Christian on Tuesday, November 4 for the regular-season opener inside the PMAC. Individual game tickets are available for purchase at LSUtix.net.
LSU is coming off a 148-46 exhibition victory over Mississippi College in the Maravich Center on October 23. The Tigers shot 68.2 percent from the floor on 58-of-85 shooting, shot nearly 50 percent from 3-point range (10-of-22), and were a solid 22-of-28 at the free throw line. The Tigers outrebounded the Choctaws, 62-12, and the home team was able to grab 20 offensive boards in the process.
Freshman guard ZaKiyah Johnson finished with a double-double after leading the team with 25 points (12-of-13) and 10 rebounds, half of them coming on the offensive glass. Johnson also had one block and one steal in the game.
In addition to Johnson, six other Tigers scored in double figures, including junior guard MiLaysia Fulwiley (17), junior guard Mikaylah Williams (16), senior forward Amiya Joyner (15), freshman guard Bella Hines (14), freshman forward Kate Koval (14) and senior guard Kailyn Gilbert (13). Five of the seven players who scored in double figures were newcomers in the program.
Coach Kim Mulkey is entering her fifth season leading the Tigers after another Elite Eight run last season. LSU returns key players including First-Team All-SEC duo Flau’jae Johnson and Williams. Gilbert, an important role player who logged impactful minutes last year, also returns to the loaded backcourt alongside sophomore Jada Richard, who will look to build on her strong freshman season. Senior Izzy Besselman also returns to this year’s squad for the final time in her hometown.
LSU brought in a trio of transfers. The Tigers added the gem of the offseason recruiting cycle in Fulwiley from South Carolina and two post players, Joyner from East Carolina and Koval from Notre Dame.
LSU will put the No. 1 recruiting class on display this season with Hines, Johnson, Divine Bourrage, and Grace Knox. LSU’s class was unanimously ranked No. 1 across all the different recruiting services. All four signees were five-star recruits who rank as high as the top-24. LSU would add Meghan Yarnevich in May to round out the freshman class for the 2025-26 season.
The Langston Lions are led by second-year head coach Chris Vincent.