No. 16 LSU vs Western Carolina | NCAA Women's Basketball | 11.13.22

BATON ROUGE – For the third time in as many games, LSU (3-0) eclipsed 100 points, taking down Western Carolina (2-1) 107-34 Sunday afternoon in the PMAC to hand the Catamounts their first loss of the season. It was LSU’s third time this season with a victory margin over 70.

It is the second time LSU has scored 100+ in three consecutive games; the Tigers also did so during the 1995-96 season. LSU will be back in action to host Houston Christian on Wednesday at 11 a.m. CT for the Tigers’ annual field-trip game with a chance to break that record.

The Tigers’ 343 points are the most in the first three games of a season by any team over the last 20 years.

Angel Reese recorded another double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds, her third in three games since transferring to LSU. It is the second game in a row that she has had 15 rebounds.

Freshman Flau’jae Johnson had a game-high 18 points on 3-3 shooting, going 10-12 from the charity stripe. Jasmine Carson, the West Virginia transfer, scored in double-digits for the third time this season with 11 points and freshman forward Alisa Williams reached double figures for the first time in her career, scoring 10 points off the bench.

For Western Carolina, Kehinde Obasuyi was the only player to reach double figures with 10 points. No Catamount player had 5 rebounds as LSU outrebounded WCU, 60-29.

The Tigers held the Catamounts to 14.8-percent shooting the ball, using defensive pressure to force missed shots and 20 total turnovers.

“I’m going to look at the defense first,” Coach Kim Mulkey said. “I thought we did better on some things defensively. I thought especially Jasmine. I thought she gave better ball pressure, got her hands on some things but she also anticipated some things. We didn’t have many turnovers which is always a good thing. We contested shots; We are getting better.”

Once again, LSU got off to a quick start by scoring the first 9 points of the game. Last-Tear Poa knocked down her first three as a Tiger and then Reese converted an and-one on a fast break to put the Tigers up, 15-3. After a 5-0 Western Carolina run, Carson scored five of LSU’s next seven points to extend the LSU lead. The Tigers closed the opening quarter on a 18-2 run as LSU made 13 first quarter free throws, 7 by Johnson.

LSU continued its relentless pressure as the second quarter began, forcing turnovers, rebounding the ball and pushing it down the floor to grow the Tigers’ lead to 30-points. As LSU continued to impose its will on a 14-2 run, the Tigers took a 57-16 lead on a jumper by Emily Ward. By the end of the first half, Reese had her third consecutive double-double to begin her LSU career with 11 points and 12 rebounds, helping LSU take a 59-19 lead into the break.

Out of the break, LSU picked up right where it left off, forcing a WCU shot-clock violation right away and then scoring the first 10 points of the half. By the end of the third, LSU’s lead had ballooned to 60 points, 82-22, as LSU held WCU to 3 points in the quarter.

It was more of the same in the fourth quarter for LSU as the Tigers went over 100 points once again. Emily Ward had 6 points in the final quarter, finishing the night with a career-high 8 points.