Kim Mulkey’s Tigers Triumph: No. 7 LSU Stages Comeback to Beat Washington, 68-67

NASSAU, Bahamas – The LSU women’s basketball team faced a tough challenge in their Monday afternoon game against the Washington Huskies. After falling behind by 15 points, they rallied back to clinch a thrilling 68-67 victory in the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship.

The No. 7 Tigers had a rocky start, making only 29% of their shots in the first quarter. Washington took advantage of this, sinking five three-pointers and scoring 15 points from LSU’s eight turnovers. LSU stars Flau’jae Johnson, Aneesah Morrow, and Mikaylah Williams struggled as well, shooting just 6-of-25 in the first half.

“Washington surprised us by playing a zone defense that we hadn’t seen on film for two years. We kept taking long shots instead of driving to the basket,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said. “We needed to focus on getting to the rim instead of relying on mid-range shots.”

As the game continued, LSU picked up their defensive game with full-court pressure, which disrupted Washington’s flow. Redshirt sophomore forward Sa’Myah Smith became a standout player, scoring 10 of her 16 points in the third quarter and grabbing 15 rebounds, marking her second double-double of the season.

Ballers find a way#GeauxTigers | @kailyngilbert pic.twitter.com/9ME86InhpI

— LSU Women's Basketball (@LSUwbkb) November 25, 2024

“Regardless of the shot outcome, our effort put us in a position to win. We focused on not turning the ball over and using dribble penetration to find better shots,” Mulkey noted.

In the fourth quarter, Johnson and Morrow each finished with 19 points. However, star sophomore Williams faced a challenging game, going 0-for-9 from the field. As the clock ticked down, LSU found themselves in a tight spot. Johnson made a crucial play to avoid a backcourt violation, leading to a vital layup by Kailyn Gilbert that gave LSU their first lead since the first quarter.

Despite shooting only 33% from the field and committing 13 turnovers, the Tigers showed great determination to advance in the tournament. Washington hit eight three-pointers and saw Sayvia Sellers score 24 points before fouling out.

NC State defeated Southern on Monday to set up the Pink Flamingo Championship game. The Tigers and Wolfpack will face each other on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. CT in the championship game on FloCollege.

Mulkey looked ahead to the championship game against NC State.

“Well, they are a Final Four team from last season, let’s don’t forget that,” she said.

“While they’ve lost a lot of their post game last year with kids graduating and moving on, they still have guards. And, boy, do they have some guards that can flat out play the game.”