BATON ROUGE, La. – The ninth-ranked LSU women’s basketball team opened its competition schedule with a resounding 159-31 victory over UNT Dallas in an exhibition matchup Thursday night inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
LSU returns to action Thursday, Oct. 29 for its second and final exhibition game against Loyola (N.O.) before beginning the regular season slate with Southeastern Louisiana on November 2. The exhibition contest against the Wolf Pack will be streamed on SEC Network + with a simulcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network featuring Patrick Wright and Shaeeta Williams on the call.
The Tigers first regular season game on November 2 will tip at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
Six LSU players scored in double figures with five of the six recording 20-plus points. LSU senior MiLaysia Fulwiley paced the Tiger scorers with 32 points. Following Fulwiley was sophomore ZaKiyah Johnson (23), senior Mikaylah Williams (22), sophomore Grace Knox (21) and senior Laila Reynolds (20).
Williams and Fulwiley were all over the floor, both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Williams collected 11 steals and Fulwiley had 17 assists on the night. In its totality, LSU recorded 43 assists and 36 steals. The Tigers also knocked down 16 three-pointers on 26 attempts, while converting on 25-of-39 free throws.
LSU’s defense forced 46 turnovers, which led to 82 points in addition to 29 second chance points and 49 points from the Tiger bench.
“Coach Otis Nixon has been asking me since I took the LSU job,” head coach Kim Mulkey said. “He just wanted to have an opportunity to bring his team to play here. Of course we help them with their finances and budget a little bit. I know a lot of coaches don't do that, but I do it. My heart goes out to programs that need some money, and those kids that scored against us tonight will sit in their rocking chairs one day and talk about it. So, I view it almost like I do a practice. We’re working on things we would be doing in practice as if we were going against the Dream Team, so that’s my philosophy on exhibitions.”
LSU jolted out to a 12-0 lead within two-and-a-half minutes as the dynamic guard duo of Williams and Fulwiley combined to score 10 of the Tigers’ 12 points at the first media timeout. The Tigers would extend their lead to 21 before UNT Dallas knocked down a three-pointer midway through the first quarter.
LSU closed out the first quarter on a 15-4 run and led the Trailblazers, 36-7.
In the second quarter, LSU started out with a 15-0 outburst offensively before UNT Dallas made a layup with 6:26 left in the first half. The Tigers hot scoring continued throughout the second period as LSU recorded 78 points to the Trailblazers 18 through one half. In the first 20 minutes, LSU spread it out offensively with four players in double figures.
Fulwiley tallied 17 points, two rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Williams had nine points but picked the UNT Dallas pockets seven times.
LSU opened the second half with 18 straight points, pushing its advantage to 79 with a 99-20 lead and 6:08 left in the third quarter. After a second-chance layup from Johnson, Mulkey subbed in four reserves who finished out the remainder of the third quarter, ending it with a 116-27 lead.
In the fourth quarter, LSU strengthened its grip on the triple digit lead by putting up the quarter’s first 21 points. The Tigers would go on to score 159 points on the evening to the Trailblazers’ 31.