With the women’s college basketball season just beginning, LSU has already made history.
On Thursday, the No. 9 Tigers hosted Texas Southern (also the Tigers) for LSU’s second game of the season. The result was a decisive 131-22 rout in favor of LSU, breaking the record for the largest Division I victory in NCAA history.
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LSU head coach Kim Mulkey took advantage of the opportunity to use her bench: Seven different players finished with 20 or more minutes on the court, with 10 players on the board. Seven players scored in double figures in the blowout.
The 109-point margin of victory broke an NCAA Division I record by one point. The previous record was Baylor’s 140-32 victory over Winthrop in 2016. This also coincidentally happened under Mulkey, who was the head coach of the Lady Bears until she was hired by LSU in 2021.
The massive victory came with a wild second quarter, where LSU scored 40 points while allowing none. Texas Southern’s 22 points were also the fewest allowed under Mulkey, according to ESPN; 13 of those points came in the first quarter, with LSU limiting Texas Southern to nine points in the second half.
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Rookie Anna Minaeva — a Russian-born player whose signing this summer created controversy and led to a Ukrainian player being transferred — led both teams with 21 points and seven rebounds coming off the bench. Starting senior guard Mikaylah Williams pitched in 20 points.
LSU also used the game to honor former forward Angel Reese, who received flowers the week after her impressive performance in the WNBA Finals.
LSU’s easy early season schedule will continue in the coming weeks, with the team hosting opponents like McNeese and Denver to prepare for higher-stakes SEC play.
The Tigers’ first real test will be in late November, with a home game against No. 25 NC State, followed by a game against No. 9 North Carolina on Dec. 2. LSU will face No. 2 UConn, which lost to Michigan on Thursday, Dec. 20.
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