In Texas A&M women’s basketball’s 64-51 loss to the No. 5 LSU Tigers, coach Kim Mulkey stalked up and down the sideline, looking similar to the sequined ferocious felines on the sleeves of her tiger-striped cardigan.
Mulkey has made a name for herself as the first women’s basketball coach to win national championships as a player, assistant coach and head coach. Most games, she can be found on the sideline wearing some of the most eccentric outfits to ever grace a basketball court. When A&M made the trip to Baton Rouge, it was no different.
The Aggies went into Sunday’s matchup on fire, coming off a comeback win over Georgia and a six-point victory against No. 11 Kentucky. In both games, the Aggies outscored their opponents in the second half to overcome eight and 10-point deficits, respectively.
In a game that saw A&M missing redshirt junior guard Kendall Hunter, redshirt senior G Aicha Coulibaly stood out in the first half. The Bamako, Mali native put up 12 points, a rebound and a block before being taken to the locker room with a right knee injury nearly two minutes before halftime.
Teams tend to take on the personality of their coach, and the Tigers have matched Mulkey’s electric style through their explosive, fast-paced offense. Heading into the A&M matchup, LSU averaged 89 points per game.
A major contributor to the Tigers’ offensive prowess, junior G Flau’Jae Johnson recorded her twelfth 20-point game of the season against the Aggies, putting up 22. Alongside Johnson, senior forward Aneesah Morrow accounted for 19 points and nine rebounds.
The Maroon and White has also reflected the personality of their coach, Joni Taylor. In her four seasons as a power forward at Alabama, Taylor recorded a gritty 716 points, 555 rebounds and 103 blocks.
A&M’s play around the paint has been the lifeblood of the program all season, and that was no different in the loss to the Tigers. Redshirt senior F Lauren Ware averaged 1.9 blocks per game heading into the contest, which ranked 38th in the country. Against the Tigers, Ware sent back two shots and led the Aggies’ rebounding efforts, wrangling in seven.
Freshman G Taliyah Parker came one point shy of her career high, scoring 13 points in the loss. The freshman also blocked two shots in a game for the third time this season.
Parker credited her more experienced teammates for her recent success.
“They help me in so many ways,” Parker said before the game. “Playing with people who have experience, they’re helping every single day, and they’re helping me get better.”
Sophomore LSU transfer G Janae Kent put up three points over 26 minutes in the loss against her former team. She went 0-6 from the field but 3-4 from the charity stripe.
What made all the difference in the game was LSU’s ability to rebound on the offensive side of the court. The Tigers doubled the Aggies’ offensive rebound total, recording 30 to the Aggies’ 15. Their success off the board led to the Tigers’ outscoring the Aggies by 10 on second chances.
A&M will return home on Sunday, Feb. 2 to take on the Texas Longhorns in the Lone Star Showdown. The rivalry game will air on SEC Network with first tip scheduled for 5 p.m.
