After LSU got some comeuppance in a struggle to beat Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday, coach Kim Mulkey immediately sounded a warning about the Tigers' next opponent.
“Wait till Sunday; you ever heard of Tulane?” she said after rattling off the Tigers' problems against the Lions.
No. 11 LSU (8-0) visits the Green Wave (5-2) for its first true road game at 4 p.m. Sunday in Devlin Fieldhouse. Mulkey expects her team's sternest test in front of perhaps Tulane’s biggest crowd of the year. The game also comes a day after the Green Wave football team played Central Florida in the American Athletic Conference championship game on campus.
“They are well coached,” Mulkey said. “They are going to be fired up because its LSU on their home floor. I anticipate it to be their largest crowd because Saturday their football team plays for the conference championship, which is why we moved the game to Sunday. I will imagine a lot of people will stay.
“Much respect to (Tulane coach) Lisa Stockton and her staff. She’s a coach who has to have all the records because she’s been there a long time. We know how good they are, the challenge they present and we’d better be ready to play.”
LSU scored a season-low 63 points and trailed for the first time against Southeastern. The challenge could be tougher against a Green Wave team that went 21-10 last year and split two games in the WNIT. Mulkey said Tulane is a lot different than last year after losing three starters.
Tulane has lost to Alabama (72-61) and Northern Iowa (82-60) while beating Central Michigan (78-66) and UNO (90-37) in its last two games. The Green Wave made 10 of 20 3-point shots against UNO, including 4 of 7 by leading scorer Marta Galic.
Galic, a senior guard from Zagreb, Croatia, is averaging 14 points and 9.3 rebounds. She’s made 23 of 46 3-point shots. Sophomore guard Kyren Whittington is averaging 12.4 points, and senior guard Dynah Jones averages 12.0 ppg. Jones had 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting in 21 minutes against UNO.
Rachel Hakes, a senior guard, is averaging seven assists per game.
LSU is led by Southeastern Conference player of the week Angel Reese, who is averaging 23.4 points and 14.8 rebounds. She’s had double-doubles in all eight games and also leads the team with 18 steals and is second with 23 assists.
Freshman Flau’jae Johnson is next in scoring with a 14.5 average and 7.0 rebounds. Her 16 steals are second to Reese. Johnson has been relatively consistent but struggled with foul trouble against Southeastern while playing a season-low 12 minutes.
“You tell those guys your freshman year is going to be the most difficult of not just your basketball career but your life,” Mulkey said. “For the first time you’re on your own, waking yourself up, growing up a little bit.
“Basketball is going to be up and down. She’s been up. She had that one game last game when she had foul trouble. It takes you out of your rhythm. You want to try harder and the harder you try sometime the worst it gets. That’s not unexpected of freshmen. You teach, learn and go on to the next game.”