LSU Women To Host Queens And Raise National Championship Banner

BATON ROUGE – Fans should be in their PMAC seats early Thursday night before No. 1 LSU’s home opener against Queens (NC) at 7 p.m. CT on SECN+ for the Tigers National Championship ring and banner ceremony.

Doors to the PMAC will open at 5:30 p.m. with the ceremony set to begin at 6:20. The team will first receive its National Championship rings. A banner for the 2023 Final Four will be unveiled before the National Championship banner is raised into the rafters of the PMAC.

“I’m excited about (the ceremony),” Coach Kim Mulkey who is now in her third season at LSU after leading the Tigers to their first National Championship in April. “I’m probably more excited about it for those getting (a ring) for the first time. It’s just fun for me to see the emotions involved when they look at that ring and have great memories.”

The SECN+ broadcast with Garrett Walvoord and Lyn Rollins will begin at 7 p.m. with a recap of the ceremony before the game tips off. Fans can also tune in to the LSU Sports Radio Network, 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge, with Patrick Wright and Shaeeta Williams.

The Tigers are back in the PMAC for the 2023-24 season. Last season they were 17-0 at home, posting a perfect home record for the second time in program history. For the first time ever, season tickets for LSU Women’s Basketball are sold out. And there are limited single-game tickets are available for purchase.

LSU dropped its season opener Monday night against No. 20 Colorado in Las Vegas, 92-78, facing an experienced Buffaloes team. It was LSU’s first game with six players new to the program, including three new starters, who are working to mesh their talent together.

“It’s almost like last year’s team piecing it together,” Coach Mulkey said. “(This year’s team) we have two transfers (Hailey Van Lith and Aneesah Morrow) who can score the ball, but they don’t know how to defend the way we want. You’ve got returning players. You have a freshman (Mikaylah Williams) that’s got to play. You’ve got a sophomore that’s got to fill in for a fifth-year senior (LaDazhia Williams) from last year. That’s what we’re doing, and we’ll get there.”

It marked just the third time in Coach Mulkey’s head coaching career that her team has lost a season opener. In both of those instances (2004 at LSU and 2009 at Tennessee), the season ended with a trip to the Final Four, including a National Championship victory in 2005, Coach Mulkey’s first as a head coach.

Angel Reese recorded her 35th double-double in a LSU uniform on Monday night. She now sits one double-double behind Ayana Mitchell for the second most double-doubles as a Tiger. Sylvia Fowles owns the record with 86 double-doubles in her career.

Mikaylah Williams stood out in her first college game on Monday. The freshman had 17 points on 50-percent shooting.

Queens, a member of the ASUN conference from Charlotte in its second season at the DI level, opened its season on Monday with a loss at Ole Miss. The Royals entered this season with seven new players, including five transfers and two freshmen. The Royals were 8-12 last season in the fourth season with Jen Brown as their head coach.

(Release via LSU Athletics)