The LSU Tigers shock the undefeated Texas Longhorns 70-65 in an upset win. Mikaylah Williams shines as the Tigers claim their first ranked victory.
The LSU Tigers finally have a statement win this season as they upset the No.2-ranked Texas Longhorns at home, by a score of 70-65.
This was a much-needed win for Kim Mulkey's squad. The Tigers had won their first SEC game in their last outing, but it was an expected win over the Georgia Bulldogs. The two straight losses to ranked opponents were not a good look for LSU.
No one will be able to take the importance of this win away from the Tigers. The Longhorns have been one of the best teams in the country. They rank in the top five for both offensive and defensive efficiency.
It was the first win that LSU had against an opponent ranked in the top two since 2008. The Tigers had lost 17 straight games against such teams.
LSU established its will early in this game, and then it was mostly just Texas playing catch-up. They made it close down the stretch, but the Tigers hit enough clutch shots and played enough clutch defense to take it.
This was another game where Mikaylah Williams continued to make her mark as the leader of this team right now. The offense ran through her in the clutch again and she made the right passes and knew when to take it herself.
There is no one else that should be looked at as a closer. She hit a big three as the shot clock went off to push the LSU lead back to seven with under two minutes to go.
Williams finished with an efficient 20 points, seven rebounds, four assists and five steals.
The Tigers were able to out-rebound the Longhorns thanks to a dominant performance on the offensive glass. Grace Knox, Amiya Joyner and Flau'jae Johnson all had at least four offensive boards.
One interesting note in this game was the performance of Texas senior center Kyla Oldacre off the bench.
She is exactly the type of player that had people worried about the easy non-conference schedule. LSU's ability to stop dominant offensive post players has been called into question. Will they be ready to stop a player like Audi Crooks when they need to?
Oldacre wasn't a focal point of the Longhorns' offense in this game, but she scored with relative ease when she was set up. She finished with 16 points on 6-of-9 from the field with 1`6 rebounds and three blocks. She did have five turnovers, though, which is a good sign from the quick hands of the Tigers' defense.
LSU won't have a much easier task waiting for them on the road against the fifth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners next Sunday, which is their next game.