LSU forward LaDazhia Williams knows all too well the 5th ranked unbeaten Lady Tigers face their toughest challenge to date when they play at Missouri in an SEC Network televised Thursday night game at 6 p.m.
Williams is a 6-4 graduate transfer starter who played the last two seasons for Mizzou after playing her first two seasons for South Carolina.
After starting 27 of 48 games for Missouri and averaging 10.6 points and 4.2 rebounds, post-player Williams saw her starts and minutes dramatically reduced as Mizzou became a perimeter-oriented team firing 3-pointers from all directions.
“She (Williams) didn't leave on bad terms,” said Lady Tigers’ head coach Kim Mulkey, whose team owns a 16-0 school-record start (4-0 SEC). “She had graduated and saw an opportunity to come play for me.
“She first played for South Carolina for two years with T’ea Cooper and T’ea transferred to Baylor to play for me. She and T’ea remained friends and T’ea told her, `I played for that woman (Mulkey) for a year, and what she does with post players you might want to go check it out and give her a call.’
“It’s (Williams’ transfer) is not a knock on Missouri. It’s just Missouri’s style of play is lights-out shooters.”
Williams, who averages 8.5 points and 5.4 rebounds, has been a solid frontline partner for LSU sophomore forward Angel Reese, the SEC’s top scorer (24.2 ppg) and nation’s leading rebounder (15.6 rpg).
It's Williams who often draws the most difficult post defense assignment, helping Reese stay away from foul trouble. As Williams knows, Missouri doesn’t toss the ball inside offensively much.
Mizzou is third in the SEC in 3-pointers made (132) and third in 3-point attempts (372). Missouri guards Laura Hansen (13.6 ppg) and Hayley Frank (14.8) are tied for third in the SEC in 3-pointers made per game (2.2).
When the 3’s aren’t dropping for Mizzou (14-3, 3-1 SEC), it’s disaster. Missouri missed 18 of 25 3-pointers is in its 77-55 Sunday home loss to Arkansas.
Last season, Missouri took LSU to overtime in Baton Rouge before the host Tigers won 87-85. Mizzou made 15 of 31 3’s (48.4 percent) with Hansen and Frank combining for 42 points and 13-of-22 3-point accuracy.
“They spread the floor on you and we’ve got to understand that they’re gonna shoot the ball from all over the floor,” Mulkey said.
LSU leads Division 1 in points per game (89.7), field goals per game (32.9) and rebounds per game (52.1). Defensively, the Lady Tigers are second nationally points allowed (49.9 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (30.2 percent).
It hasn’t gone unnoticed that there has been a bit of a struggle offensively for LSU in three of its four SEC games.
Though Reese is averaging 23 points and 18.5 rebounds in league play, SEC defenses have limited her to 42.8 percent field goal shooting. She has made 10 more free throws (37) than field goals (27) in conference games.
Other Tigers, such as freshman guard Flau’jae Johnson, have stepped up their offensive performances.
In her last three SEC games, Johnson averaged 21.4 points, 7 rebounds and 2.3 steals while shooting 53 percent (26 of 49) from the field, 46.2 percent (6 of 13) in 3-pointers and 85.7 percent (6 of 7) from the free throw line.
“Flau’jae is a very confident basketball player,” Mulkey said. “She hits big shots. She’s not afraid to be aggressive and take it to the rim.”
Mulkey is hoping senior point guard Alexis Morris is at full strength again soon after not feeling well lately.
“She’s just feeling `puny’ and if you’re from the country you know what that means,” Mulkey said.
In LSU’s last two SEC wins at Kentucky and vs. Texas A&M, Morris averaged 4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2 assists in 21.5 minutes while making just 3 of 7 field goals.
