LSU Falls at Texas 77-64 Despite 20 from Mikaylah Williams

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas forward Madison Booker paced the fourth-ranked Longhorns offensively with 18 points en route to a 77-64 victory over the fifth-ranked LSU women’s basketball squad inside the Moody Center on Thursday night.

With the loss, LSU fell in its first game since January 4, dropping its record to 21-3 overall and 7-3 in Southeastern Conference play. With the victory, Texas improved its record to 22-2 overall and 7-2 in league play.

LSU returns to action Sunday at Auburn in Neville Arena as the Tigers battle at 1 p.m. CT on SEC Network with Tiffany Greene (pxp) and Carolyn Peck (analyst) on the call. Fans can listen into the LSU Sports Radio Network with Patrick Wright and Shaeeta Williams calling the action.

Junior guard Mikaylah Williams led the LSU scoring attack with 20 points in addition to her two rebounds and one assist. She went 7-of-11 from the field, knocked down three threes, and converted on 3-of-5 free throw attempts.

At the first media timeout, Texas held the 10-8 lead through the opening five minutes of the quarter. LSU opened the scoring right away with a layup from freshman Grace Knox on the feed from Williams. In the first period, the Longhorns took the lead, 10-6, but LSU finished the quarter on a 9-3 scoring run to give the Tigers a 17-13 advantage at the end of the first.

Despite holding a slight four-point lead going into the second quarter, Texas tied the ballgame at 20 with 7:24 remaining in the half. Williams was able to drain a couple of treys at the quarter’s media timeout as LSU had the 26-22 lead with 5:58 left. Down the stretch of the first half, Texas outscored LSU 15-8 and held the 40-36 lead into the locker room.

Williams paced the Tigers offense in the first half with 13 points on five made buckets, two three-pointers and a free throw on an and-one.

In the third quarter, both teams began to trade blows in offensive possessions through the media timeout. The Longhorns kept LSU at arm’s length in the first five minutes, but Williams knocked down a three-pointer to cut the deficit to two with 5:06 left in the quarter. With Texas leading 47-45, the Tigers continued their attempt at closing in. At the end of the third period, the Longhorns led 57-53.

Early on in the fourth quarter, Texas started on a quick 4-0 run, extending its lead to eight with 7:17 left in the game. LSU attempted to battle back but was unable to complete a comeback in the Tigers’ 77-64 defeat.

**LSU Press Release