Kim Mulkey has heard a lot of criticism before, and she is not backing down. While analysts consistently criticize LSU for scheduling soft non-conference games early in the season, the Tigers’ head coach remains firm on her strategy following another dominant win.

As LSU thrashed Southeastern Louisiana Lions 129-35, marking the largest ever win in program history, that same criticism came to the forefront again. However, Mulkey had a different point of view when asked by a reporter what it meant to face her hometown team. Weak non-conference schedules can hurt a team’s AP Poll ranking and NCAA tournament seeding, but Mulkey believes her winning strategy proves the critics wrong.

“Well, for the first time in a long time, I didn’t have a relative on the team. So you know, I didn’t have to not go to the family reunion. But listen, it’s not just being from Hammond and Tangipahoa Parish. I came back to this state to help grow the game in our state. And I’ve played at just about every in-state school for a lot of reasons. And it’s usually to help them with their budget. It’s usually to allow them to have the opportunity to play at the flagship university. And I’ll never apologize for that,” Mulkey said at the post-game press conference.

“I wanted to grow the game in our state. That team is really kind of a new team from the last time we played them. And we just came out pretty tough when we started the game. And we were very athletic, with a lot of speed and quickness.”

This is not the first time that Mulkey has had to defend LSU’s schedule.

“I’ve been doing this for 40 years. It’s not the first time I’ve heard people complain about a soft schedule. I know my team better than anybody. What I’ve been doing has worked,” Mulkey said last season, after losing to South Carolina.

“I don’t get caught into what the TV people want you to do, or what the NCAA selection committee thinks you should do. If we didn’t send a message today, who do we need to play to send a message to? We were on their home court. We won a national championship, and everybody talked about the soft nonconference schedule. That ship has sailed. Nobody needs to talk about that anymore… Let coaches do what they need to do to get their teams ready for the playoffs, and that’s my goal every time I step on that court.”

Indeed, LSU won the title in 2023 and made it all the way to the Elite Eight in 2024. This win against Southeastern Louisiana Lions raises expectations for another dominant season.

ZaKiyah Johnson leads in LSU victory

ZaKiyah Johnson delivered a standout performance for the Tigers, recording a double-double with 33 points and 13 rebounds. Following the game, Johnson credited her on-court dominance to her rigorous offseason training regimen and the ongoing support from her teammates.

“I think I’ve done a great job just sitting down and watching myself and the things that I needed to work on. I worked on, and I continue to work on. Like, I got better at my shot, but I’m still continuing to work on it… and just being relentless. My team, they really encouraged me to kind of just go all over the place, and it’s the tone that I set on the floor, so I just kept going,” Johnson said after the game.

And this 94-point victory had six players scoring in double digits as the LSU ladies dominated on both ends of the floor. They shot a staggering 50% from beyond the arc and logged 51 rebounds. The Lions could only register 13 rebounds.

While opening the season with seven consecutive games in the friendly confines of the PMAC is an undeniable luxury for LSU, it’s a comfort that carries immense weight. The Tigers are expected to step onto the court already operating as a fully functional team.

For the LSU fans, as always, the expectations are for the team to bring another national championship home.