“What I know is we’re relevant; we’re one of the top team in the country,” Coach Kim Mulkey encouraged the LSU Tigers

No. 9 LSU (18-3, 5-2 SEC) will be back on the floor Monday night to take on Mississippi State (16-5, 3-3 SEC) at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2 in Humphrey Coliseum.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Courtney Lyle and Carolyn Peck. Patrick Wright and Emily Ward will call the game on the LSU Sports Radio Network, 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge. LSU will not play Thursday following this game and will host Florida in the PMAC next Sunday.

LSU led No. 1 South Carolina through the majority of the game on Thursday in Baton Rouge, but Angel Reese fouled out with just over four minutes left and the Gamecocks hit clutch three-pointers down the stretch to remain undefeated. Now the Tigers will be back on the road as they look to get back in the win column.

“What I know is we’re relevant; we’re one of the top team in the country,” Coach Kim Mulkey said Thursday. “It was a very good game. We will get in the film room Saturday and get ready for Mississippi State. We’ll show some of the things; how did we lose the lead, where did we not help each other on the defensive end.”

All five LSU starters scored in double figures Thursday against South Carolina, something they have done in four of seven SEC games. Aneesah Morrow and Angel Reese have both been double-double machines with 13 and 11, respectively. Mikaylah Williams has been on of the top freshmen in the country, scoring 16.2 points per game at an efficient 48.5-percent shooting. Flau’Jae Johnson has expanded her overall game and Hailey Van Lith is continuing to make strides at point guard and has upped her assist production this year.

“All of us can score the basketball,” Morrow said after Thursday’s game. “Defensively, I’ve had to guard some of the top players on each team and I feel like tonight I fell short. That’s on me, but I feel like as a team we are coming together. We are getting to know each other. We are playing together, and this is something we can do better as a team.”

Sam Purcell is in his second season at Mississippi State. After a successful first season in Starkville that saw the Bulldogs reach the second-round of the NCAA Tournament, he has the program back in a position to battle for a postseason spot again. Mississippi State’s last game was a week ago on Monday, an 89-77 win at Florida. Purcell is still in search of his first ranked win at Mississippi State.