The Marist Red Foxes became a part of NCAA history on Friday night in the team’s 60-point loss to the No. 5 team in the nation, Louisiana State University, at the 2025 Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
LSU beat the program’s own record in the SEC, and tied head coach Kim Mulkey’s record at Louisiana Tech in the 113-53 win over Marist, stamping their seventh consecutive win over 100 points.
Seven players for the Tigers reached double digits, while only redshirt senior guard Lexie Tarul and freshman forward Justine Henry reached over 10 for the Red Foxes.
Midway through the first quarter, Marist stayed within five of the SEC powerhouse, with Henry recording all of the Red Foxes’ points to make the score 10-5.
A minute later, junior guard Malea Egan injured her leg while driving to the basket, falling to the ground and needing to be carried off the court. With Egan out, Marist fell down to just three available subs, a disadvantage that the Tigers quickly took advantage of.
Marist opened in a zone for the first time this season to counter LSU’s height, but the Tigers exploited the disconnected defense with simple corner screens and pick-and-rolls.
To end the first heading into the second, Louisiana State went on a 26-point run, extending their lead to 34-5.
The Red Foxes decided to switch defenses at the beginning of the second, but did not see success with man-to-man either.
Marist totaled 17 turnovers in the first 20 minutes: more than the team’s point total (14) heading to the locker room in search of answers at the half.
The Red Foxes shot just 14% from the field in the first half and focused on stopping LSU’s transition instead of fighting for offensive rebounds. LSU capitalized, pushing the ball up the court with ease and building a 44-point lead, while out-rebounding Marist 18-34.
Freshman forward Justine Henry accounted for 21 of the Red Foxes’ points on the night, adding eight rebounds and one assist.
Marist struggled to get inside looks against LSU’s tight-man defense, which kept the Red Foxes pushed beyond the arc.
Louisiana State dominated the glass, turning into 36 second-chance points and 44 points off turnovers, accounting for nearly all of the Tigers’ points in the first half of the game.
Senior guard Flau’jae Johnson recorded back-to-back 3-pointers after the break, adding to her final stat line of 16 points, three assists and two rebounds.
Head coach Erin Doughty made a key change heading into the second half with a new offensive press. The press forced the LSU defensive line to spread out. The Red Foxes used their transition and new space to start the quarter 5-for-6 from the field, with Tarul tallying her first points of the game with two 3-pointers.
Scoring 15 points in the first five minutes of the third, outscoring their own score in the first half, head coach Kim Mulkey used her first time out of the game to reset her Tigers.
Mulkey made full substitutions, sending in all reserves for fresh legs on defense. The Tigers’ rested bench took advantage of the stretched-thin Marist team, ending with 50 points coming off the bench.
Sophomore forward Kate Koval led the subs, shooting 7-for-9 and recording eight rebounds.
With 10 minutes left on the clock, LSU sat only 10 points away from breaking its own record again; the historic 100th point came from freshman guard ZaKiyah Johnson, securing a new SEC record and tying the NCAA record for consecutive games with over 100 points.
As a freshman, ZaKiyah Johnson has been an essential part of the Tigers team, not only starting her rookie season but also averaging 12.8 points per game. The guard ended the win over Marist with 19 points.
With positive highlights from sophomore guard Chloe Escanillas, Tarul and Henry, Marist doubled their score and limited turnovers in the second half.
The Red Foxes will look to carry their second-half momentum into Saturday’s matchup against Miami of Ohio as they aim to close their time in the Virgin Islands with a win at the Paradise Jam.
Edited by Ben Leeds
Graphic by Cara Lacey
Photo by Jaylen Rizzo
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