In 1982, Louisiana Tech recorded six straight 100-point games before going on to win the inaugural women’s basketball championship. That Bulldogs team was led by none other than Mulkey, who was an All-American point guard and has coached the Tigers to a 7-0 start this season.
The winner of six NCAA national championships as a player and coach, Mulkey is used to setting standards. Mulkey won titles as an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech in 1988, as the head coach at Baylor in 2005, 2012 and 2019, and with LSU in 2023.
However, she wasn’t aware of this particular record until she was informed after the game.
“I didn’t realize it till after someone said something about it to me just now,” Mulkey said after Friday’s win. “We don’t talk about that; I’ve never discussed that with any of these kids. It’s not something that’s high on our priority list.”
With her team currently ranked fifth in the country, Mulkey is looking to lead LSU to its second-ever national title this season. Despite featuring eight additions, the Tigers have jelled quickly. They are averaging 112 points per game, with seven players averaging double figures.
In Friday’s victory, Mulkey brought in all 11 available players; every one of them scored. LSU has been aided by the return of All-American Flau’jae Johnson for her senior season, averaging 17.1 points per game on 53 percent shooting. Johnson won a national title with Mulkey in 2023.
LSU’s smallest margin of victory so far this season is 31 points. Contributing to that is a lighter nonconference slate than in previous years. With a dramatically different roster, Mulkey said she took a different approach to scheduling this year. Her squad has yet to play a power conference team.
“If I had known that with the eight new players that we were going to score the ball the way we do, I might have scheduled differently,” Mulkey said. “But you’re scared to death with eight new players, and only got two returning players who got significant minutes.”
The Tigers look to continue their record-breaking start Saturday night in the Paradise Jam Reef Division championship game against Washington State.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
LSU Lady Tigers, Women’s College Basketball
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