LSU Women

Through the 2024–25 season, LSU has made 31 AIAW/NCAA tournament appearances including 17 Sweet Sixteens, 11 Elite Eights, and six Final Fours – highlighted by a national championship in 2023. The Lady Tigers have won the SEC regular season championship three times and the SEC Tournament championship twice.

LSU women’s basketball officially began in the 1975–76 season under coach Jinks Coleman. In the inaugural year, the Tigers went 17–14, advancing past the state tournament into regional AIAW play. A highlight came in the next season (1976–77) when Maree Jackson poured in 47 points to score over 40 in a single game—LSU’s first-ever win over a ranked opponent (UNLV) in a thrilling 92–89 victory. The Lady Tigers also recorded their first 100-point game that season, defeating West Texas State 109–48—marking early offensive prowess. That same year, LSU reached the AIAW national championship game but fell to powerhouse Delta State, finishing runner‑up in only their second season. Coleman resigned early in the 1978–79 campaign, and Barbara Swanner took over, guiding the program through the transition to NCAA governance in 1981. The team did not qualify for the inaugural NCAA women's tournament, but laid groundwork in recruiting and structural stability during her tenure

Entering the NCAA era, LSU tapped Sue Gunter, a future Hall of Famer, to transform the Lady Tigers into a consistent postseason program. Over 22 seasons, Gunter accumulated a 442–220 record (approximately .667-win percentage), regularly achieving 20-win campaigns. Her squads appeared in 14 NCAA tournaments and captured two SEC Tournament titles (1991, 2003), although heavyweights like Tennessee and Auburn often overshadowed in conference play. In 1985, Gunter also led LSU to a WNIT championship. The pinnacle came in 2003–04: Gunter took medical leave mid-season, and top assistant Pokey Chatman stepped in as interim. Chatman led LSU to its first-ever NCAA Final Four, though the season is officially credited to Gunter. Gunter retired shortly thereafter, leaving behind one of the most stable programs in women’s college basketball at the time.

Elevated to permanent head coach in 2004, Pokey Chatman immediately raised LSU’s ceiling to even greater heights. In 2004–05, the Tigers posted a 33–3 record, went 14–0 in SEC regular-season play, won the SEC title, and reached the Final Four—led by phenomenal junior Seimone Augustus, who earned consecutive National Player of the Year honors (Naismith, Wooden, Wade, USBWA, AP) in 2005 and 2006. Augustus finished her LSU career averaging 19.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game and became the first female LSU athlete to have her jersey (#33) retired in 2010 and a statue unveiled in 2023. Chatman’s squads repeated Final Four appearances in 2006 (31–4) and 2007 (30–8), making LSU the only program to reach the four straight Final Fours in their first attempt (2004–07). Chatman resigned abruptly just before the 2007 NCAA Tournament; assistant Bob Starkey was appointed interim and guided LSU to their fourth consecutive Final Four, a notable one-month turnaround. Chatman’s final LSU record stood at 94–15, with LSU becoming a national powerhouse during her tenure.

In April 2007, LSU hired veteran coach Van Chancellor, already legendary for his WNBA success with the Houston Comets. In his first year (2007–08), Chancellor led LSU to a 31–6 overall record, a SEC regular-season championship (14–0 SEC), and the fifth straight Final Four appearance—a feat matched only by UConn’s dominance. He was named SEC Coach of the Year. Over four seasons, Chancellor maintained competitive excellence, compiling a 90–40 record and keeping LSU firmly in national postseason contention.

Following Chancellor’s retirement, Nikki Fargas assumed the helm for the 2011–12 campaign. Over ten seasons, she coached LSU to a 148–106 overall record, led the team to six NCAA Tournament appearances, and reached the Sweet Sixteen twice (2013, 2014). While deep postseason success eluded LSU during her tenure, Fargas maintained program stability in the ultra-competitive SEC environment dominated by Tennessee, South Carolina, and others.

On April 25, 2021, LSU secured one of the most significant hires in women’s basketball history by appointing Kim Mulkey, a Hall of Fame coach who had guided Baylor to three NCAA championships. Within two seasons, Mulkey dramatically reshaped the Tigers into a national powerhouse.

In her first season, Mulkey revamped the teams roster and staff, setting in motion infrastructure that paid immediate dividends. By season’s end, LSU posted a 26–6 record, marking a dramatic turnaround. Mulkey achieved her 100th LSU victory in just 114 games, outpacing Gunter’s pace. In 2024, Seimone Augustus rejoined the program—this time as an assistant coach—bringing continuity and legacy.

The 2022–23 team delivered LSU’s first-ever NCAA title, finishing 34–2. Junior transfer Angel Reese dominated with averages of 23.0 ppg and 15.4 rpg, leading the NCAA in total rebounds and free throws made (240) and securing 34 double-doubles—both SEC and NCAA single-season records. Jasmine Carson contributed 22 key points off the bench. In the National Semifinals, LSU overcame a 12–point deficit in the second half to defeat #1 seeded Virgina Tech 79–72 and reach their first ever title game. In the championship game on April 2, 2023, LSU defeated Iowa 102–85 at Dallas's American Airlines Center, setting the record for points in a championship game and first-half high (59 points by LSU). The win drew 9.17 million viewers on ABC—a record for women’s college basketball. Mulkey became the first coach to win Division I titles at two separate schools.

In the 2023–24 season, LSU entered ranked No. 1 in preseason polls. The Tigers returned to the Elite Eight, meeting #1 seeded Iowa again in a high-profile showdown. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark exploded for 41 points and 12 assists, edging LSU 94–87. Reese registered 17 points and 20 rebounds before fouling out of that game. She led the SEC in scoring and rebounding (18.6 PPG, 13.4 PPG), earning SEC Player of the Year, and LSU remained a national draw. After the season's completion, Reese was drafted 7th overall in the WNBA draft by the Chicago Sky.

In the 2024–25 season, senior transfer Aneesah Morrow blossomed into the team’s interior anchor, finishing with averages of 18.7 PPG and 13.5 RPG, totaling 104 career double-doubles—second most in NCAA Division I history—and 1,714 career rebounds (third-most all time). She won the Katrina McClain Award and was First-Team All‑SEC. LSU reached its third straight Elite Eight as a #3 seed but ultimately fell to the #1 overall seed UCLA 72–65. Mulkey publicly lauded longtime assistant Bob Starkey, who has coached LSU since 1990, helped produce six Final Fours, including stepping in as interim coach in 2007, and holds a 663–235 (.738) career record—advocating that he deserves Hall of Fame recognition.