Lady Tigers batter third straight opponent by 70 plus points

LSU starting forward LaDazhia Williams missed Sunday’s home game vs. Western Carolina due to illness.

And the 14th ranked Lady Tigers still scored 100 or more points with a 70-point plus victory margin for the third straight game to open the 2022-23 season.

LSU coach Kim Mulkey inserted freshman Sa’Myah Smith in place of Williams and roared to a 107-34 victory over the previously unbeaten Catamounts.

Lady Tigers forward Angel Reese recorded her third double-double in as many games with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Freshman Flau’jae Johnson had a game-high 18 points on 3 of 3 field goal shooting and hit 10 of 12 free throws.

West Virginia transfer Jasmine Carson scored 11 points, freshman forward Alisa Williams added 10 off the bench. Smith grabbed 9 rebounds.

While the Lady Tigers’ 343 points are the most in the first three games of a season by any team over the last 20 years, LSU’s defense has been smothering.

Western Carolina shot just 14.8 percent (9 of 61) from the field. In the second quarter, LSU outscored the Catamounts 23-3.

“Field goal percentage gets you on the floor for me,” Mulkey said. “I just love defense. We have to win sometimes by playing good defense. We’re always going to be very good offensively.”

Eleven of the 12 Lady Tigers who played scored. LSU has yet to trail in its first three games.

LSU will be back in action to host Houston Christian on Wednesday at 11 a.m. CT for the Tigers’ annual field-trip game for area school children.

Houston Christian was formerly known as Houston Baptist. School president Dr. Robert B. Sloan was previously president and chancellor at Baylor University where he hired Mulkey on April 4, 2000 as head women’s basketball coach