Anna Minaeva Scores 21 as No. 9 LSU Routs Texas Southern 131-22 for a Record 109-Point Margin

BATON ROUGE, La. The scoreboard at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center read 25-13 after one quarter on Thursday night, which looked like a normal early-season mismatch. Then Texas Southern did not score again for roughly 15 minutes of game time, and the night turned into a record book entry.

No. 9 LSU beat Texas Southern 131-22 on Thursday, Nov. 5, in front of 9,591 fans. The 109-point margin broke the program record LSU had set three nights earlier, and LSU Athletics called it the largest margin of victory in Division I women's basketball history, one point past the 108-point mark held by Kim Mulkey's 2016 Baylor team in a 140-32 win over Winthrop.

Freshman Anna Minaeva led all scorers with 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Six teammates joined her in double figures, and LSU moved to 2-0. Texas Southern fell to 0-2.

Here is the official box score (opens in a new tab) and LSU's recap (opens in a new tab).

Fifteen minutes of nothing

The opening minutes were actually competitive. The teams traded baskets to a 10-6 LSU lead about two and a half minutes in, according to LSU, before the Tigers pushed the gap to 25-13 by the end of the first quarter. Texas Southern even had the last word in the period.

That was the last word it had for a long time. LSU opened the second quarter on a run that did not stop until it reached 50-0, carrying from the start of the period deep into the third quarter. The second quarter alone finished 40-0. According to the Associated Press, Texas Southern went 0 for 13 from the field in that quarter and turned the ball over nine times.

Jada Williams was the engine. The senior, a transfer from Iowa State according to the AP, did not score in the first quarter, then made 6 of 7 shots in eight second-quarter minutes, including three 3-pointers, and finished the period with 16 of her 18 points. MiLaysia Fulwiley and Grace Knox added six points apiece in the quarter, and Mikaylah Williams closed the half with LSU's fourth 3 of the period to make it 65-13 at the break.

Texas Southern finally ended the drought midway through the third quarter with a 3-pointer. It was the only basket the visitors managed in the period, and LSU won the second half 66-9.

The turnover math

The final shooting line for Texas Southern was brutal: 8 of 55 from the field, 14.5 percent, with six of those eight baskets coming from beyond the arc. The visitors made only two shots inside the 3-point line all night and took just two free throws, missing both.

The bigger story was the ball itself. Texas Southern committed 38 turnovers, and LSU turned them into 55 points, according to LSU. On the other end, LSU gave the ball away only nine times and Texas Southern scored zero points off those mistakes, so the points off turnovers column finished 55-0.

Four Texas Southern players had at least six turnovers: DeAvion Wilson and Michaela Bogans with seven each, and Jayla Cornelius and Grace Strickland with six each, per the box score. When a team gives away nearly 40 possessions, the shooting percentage almost does not matter, because so many trips never produce a shot at all.

LSU's offense fed off it. The Tigers shot 53 of 89 from the field, 59.6 percent, made 9 of 20 from 3 and went 16 of 23 at the line. They scored 76 points in the paint and handed out 36 assists on those 53 baskets.

A night for the record book

The margin was the headline, but it was not the only mark LSU set or chased. According to LSU:

The 53 made field goals set a program record.

The 131 points were the second most in program history.

The 36 assists were the second most by an LSU team.

It was also the second straight game in which LSU broke its own record for margin of victory. The Tigers opened the season on Monday by beating Southeastern Louisiana 129-35, a 94-point margin that stood as the program record for all of three days. The AP noted it was the team's second straight 100-point game to start the season and that LSU improved to 7-0 all-time against Texas Southern.

Seven players reached double figures, the first time LSU had done that since its first-round NCAA Tournament game against Jacksonville on March 20, 2026, according to LSU.

Who stood out

Minaeva's line was the most encouraging for the long run. The freshman scored 14 points in her college debut against Southeastern Louisiana and improved on it in game two, adding seven rebounds and three assists. Freshmen who score efficiently in blowouts are common. Freshmen who also rebound and move the ball are the ones who earn real minutes in February.

Mikaylah Williams, a senior, scored 20. Jada Williams finished with 18 after her second-quarter burst. Sophomore ZaKiyah Johnson, who scored 33 in the opener according to LSU, added 17 in this one. Knox and Fulwiley each scored 15, and freshman Lola Lampley rounded out the double-figure group with 10.

That spread matters. LSU got 46 points from its bench, according to LSU, and nobody needed to carry the offense. The scoring came from guards, wings and freshmen alike, which is the point of games like this in early November: find out who can produce in a real arena with real minutes before the schedule gets serious.

For Texas Southern, Cornelius led the way with six points on 2 of 10 shooting and grabbed five rebounds. Dejah Morris added five points off the bench. Strickland played a team-high 32 minutes and went 1 of 11, with 10 of those attempts from 3.

A familiar face in the building

Angel Reese was back at the Maravich Center for the game. The AP reported that LSU presented flowers to the former All-American, who helped the program win its first national championship in 2022.

Mulkey spoke about what that visit meant to the current roster.

"You see so many times players leave their alma mater and don't engage with their school anymore," Mulkey said, according to LSU. "They go on to their pro careers and pro lives, but this is their school. They want to see it excel."

Reese said the timing lined up with a busy weekend in Louisiana, and spent part of her time talking about the players she overlapped with.

"Mikaylah Williams was a freshman when I was a senior, and I love being able to see her continue to grow," Reese said, according to LSU.

Reese added that Williams keeps raising the bar. "She elevates her game every year. You can see her defense has stepped up."

What it means

Context is everything with a score like this. Texas Southern is a SWAC program that opened the season with two road games, and LSU is a top-10 team with a deep, experienced roster. Nobody will learn much about LSU's ceiling from a 109-point game.

What the game does show is how LSU wants to play. The Tigers forced 38 turnovers and punished nearly every one. They shared it, too: 36 assists on 53 baskets is a sign of an offense that does not depend on one creator. And the depth is real. When seven players score in double figures and the bench produces 46 points, a coach has options when foul trouble or a cold shooting night hits in conference play.

The early returns on the newcomers are also strong. Jada Williams looked comfortable in her second game in purple and gold, and Minaeva and Lampley both produced in their first week of college basketball.

The tests are coming. For now, LSU has two wins by a combined 203 points and a pair of program records.

LSU returns to the Maravich Center on Tuesday, Nov. 10, to host McNeese at 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network+, its second in-state opponent in three games. Texas Southern is set to visit Rice on Thursday, Nov. 12, according to the AP.

Sources: ESPN box score, LSU Athletics and the Associated Press.

Photo: LSU Athletics.