LSU Athletics
BATON ROUGE, La. – Sophomore guard Jada Richard paced the sixth-ranked LSU women’s basketball team to its 89-60 win over the Florida Gators with 20 points, lifting the Tigers to another victory inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center Monday night.
With the win, LSU secured its fifth-straight victory, improving its record to 19-2 overall and 5-2 in the Southeastern Conference. With the loss, Florida dropped to 13-9 on the year and 1-6 in league play.
The Tigers will return to action on Thursday as they take on the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Maravich Center for the annual Play4Kay game. The contest is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network + with Lyn Rollins and Victor Howell calling the action. Tiger fans are encouraged to tune into the LSU Sports Radio Network with Patrick Wright and Shaeeta Williams on the call.
Associate Head Coach Bob Starkey and his wife Sherie, similar to past seasons, will donate $1 dollar to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund for each LSU student in attendance at the Arkansas game on Thursday.
Richard, in addition to her 20 points, had three rebounds, two assists and one steal. She went 6-of-10 from the field, 2-of-3 from behind the three-point line and nailed all six free throw attempts in 35 minutes played.
“She figures it out,” Coach Kim Mulkey said. “Jada’s IQ with the basketball is something you have to be around her every day to see. Great ones go back and they watch their mistakes. I love that about competitors.”
Senior Amiya Joyner closed out the Florida contest with her second-straight double-double. Joyner recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds with four assists and one blocked shot. It marked her seventh double-double of the season and 47th of her career.
LSU outrebounded the Gators by 20, as it tallied 48 boards to Florida’s 28. Joining Richard and Joyner in double-digit scoring, juniors Mikaylah Williams and MiLaysia Fulwiley had 12 and 15, respectively.
“I would say what this team has done at LSU in the five years I’ve been here is they honestly do things together off the court,” Mulkey said. “They really, really have a chemistry that is very unselfish. They want to all play now, but it’s not destructive in any way. I’ve never seen them get too high; I’ve never seen them get too low. I’ve seen them do extra on their own, extra in the film room, extra on the court. Yeah, I got a lot of depth. I’ve got a lot of depth, a lot of weapons, I do.”
LSU opened the game missing its first four shots but responded quickly by converting on five straight to give the Tigers an early 14-8 lead with 5:21 remaining in the first quarter. Florida brought its deficit within one near the end of the period, but LSU closed it out with a 22-19 advantage. Early on, six Tigers scored for LSU as four had four points each.
The offense got off to a slow start in the second quarter, putting up four points by the media timeout. Florida would possess the 27-26 lead and the momentum for a brief moment. The Tigers bounced back and finished the half on an 8-2 scoring run, giving LSU the 36-29 lead heading into the locker room.
Joyner and senior Flau’jae Johnson led the Tigers in the scoring column through the first half with nine and eight, respectively.
Richard took over the ballgame in the third quarter, leading the Tigers in scoring 12 points. She scored at all levels putting in 3-of-4 shot attempts, knocking down two three-pointers and converting 4-of-4 free throw attempts. LSU outscored Florida 27-16 in the third quarter, shooting 60% (9-15) from the field and making both of its attempts from behind the arc.
Fulwiley followed Richard’s third quarter performance in the third with 11 points herself in the fourth period. She led LSU down the stretch as it outscored the Gators, 26-15, to close out the 29-point victory.\
**LSU PRESS RELEASE**
