After stumbling through the opening bouts of conference play, Texas A&M women’s basketball heads to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to take on No. 5 LSU, where it meets a heavyweight offense that takes after coach Kim Mulkey’s explosive personality.
The Tigers have picked up right where they left off after winning a national championship in 2023 and adding an Elite Eight appearance in 2024. Despite losing superstar forward Angel Reese from last year’s squad, LSU has easily slashed their way through the jetsam and flotsam of the Southeastern Conference thus far.
LSU’s games are characterized by Mulkey stalking up and down the sideline in her signature — let’s just say creative — outfits, firing her team up. The fruits of her demanding style have been a top-three scoring offense in the country, along with obtaining more than 75 possessions a game to keep the high-octane pace flowing, according to WarrenNolan.com.
Junior G Flau’Jae Johnson has blossomed into one of the premier scorers in the nation, averaging 20 points per game. The Savannah, Georgia native has been the focal point of the offense but, like the rest of the team, has been extremely efficient while shooting.
A&M’s team identity has been centered around toughness and defense, but its offensive struggles have prevented it from being a real contender in the SEC. Averaging less than 70 points per game and more than 20 points less than LSU, the Maroon and White’s interior-scoring-based offense has found it difficult to keep up with the high-flying offenses they have played.
The backcourt duo of redshirt senior G Aicha Coulibaly and graduate G Sahara Jones have led the way for the Aggies with both averaging double-digit points, but it’ll be the Maroon and
White’s defense that will be crucial to slowing down the Tigers’ attack.
The Tigers will see a familiar face wearing maroon in LSU transfer sophomore G Janae Kent. The Oak Forest product has carved out a niche as a rotational piece who can handle the ball and alleviate the offensive burden from her teammates when she checks into the game. After appearing in 32 games for the Purple and Gold a year ago, Kent has chipped in with seven points and three boards per game for the Aggies.
Along with the bucket-achieving potential from the Tigers’ guards, it has been power in the paint that makes LSU an impossible matchup to get right. LSU crashes the boards with fervor to prevent second-chance points with senior F Aneesah Morrow leading the way. Morrow averages a double-double and, at only 6-foot-1, controls the paint with savvy positioning and effort.
A&M’s edge in the matchup comes from the rim protection from its bigs. Despite all the faults of coach Joni Taylor’s defense, the Maroon and White have affected opponents’ shooting, averaging more than five blocks a game. Redshirt senior F Lauren Ware and redshirt junior F Jada Malone have the length inside to deter the LSU guards from weaving their way to the cup and could give A&M’s offense a larger margin for error.
Due to the Aggies’ size, snuffing out fast break opportunities from the Tigers’ will be paramount to getting LSU out of its rhythm. Johnson’s coast-to-coast prowess can be limited if A&M holds the LSU offense to a half-court game.
Despite the hyper-efficient scoring from the Tigers, they attempt less than 15 threes per game. If the Aggies can get hot from behind the arc — a big “if” considering they shoot well below 30% — they might be able to make up the talent deficit and “Moneyball” their way into a competitive game.
When A&M brought Taylor to Aggieland, it was for games like this — an underdog on the road facing one of the most accomplished coaches and programs in the country. A win for the Aggies can define this program.
