Postgame: Bob Starkey, Flau'Jae Johnson talk LSU's win over OU

LSU won its third straight game on Sunday afternoon, defeating Oklahoma 91-72 and moving to 3-2 in SEC play. The Tigers were led by senior Flau’Jae Johnson who had 23 points and ten rebounds and sophomore Jada Richard who had 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting. LSU as a team held the Sooners to just 36.6 percent shooting and once Kim Mulkey’s team took control in the first quarter they never looked back.

After the game, LSU assistant coach Bob Starkey, along with Johnson and Richard, talked with the media about the win and gave some great answers on where this team is at through five games.

Q: Oklahoma plays so fast paced. Is that something you have to be conscious of in the moment?

Flau’Jae Johnson: “No, you just have to be conditioned. Conditioning has been a big part of it, especially in this type of game with a lot of possessions. The key is not getting sped up. I feel like we did a good job running time off the clock and making them run their sets. A lot of the easy baskets they got were in transition, but in the half court we really made them work, get that next pass and the next action. Everybody did a good job running with them and doing our best in that way.”

Q: Could you talk about the [LSU] defensive scheme, particularly the backcourt? When the game got tight, you forced turnovers.

Johnson: “When you talk about defense, you’ve got to mention Jada holding Chavez to 3 for 14 shooting. That was her assignment, and she did a great job controlling the tempo on defense and getting us back in transition. We had a couple lapses in transition, but overall Jada controlled the pace and really the whole dynamic on defense. We were dictating what Oklahoma did in those actions.”

Q: Jada, how were you able to find open looks today in the half court and in transition? Career-high points for you, I believe.

Jada Richard: “I just took what the defense gave me. In transition that’s what we do. My teammates were setting screens, and it’s what we practiced—focusing on our offensive execution. It’s a testament to what we did in practice, and I have great players around me, so with them on the court I’m always going to get open.”

Q: Coach, how do you feel like you all did on Beers?

Coach Bob Starkey: “I thought we did about as good a job as you can. She’s an absolute handful. People talk about her strength, but she’s got quick feet and great hands, and Oklahoma does a good job placing people on the floor to make it difficult to double her. One way to guard her is to attack her on the other end offensively. I thought Kate came off the bench and banged with her physically and made her work. She’s a really good player, fun to watch, but tough to prepare for.”

Q: Do you feel like this was your [LSU’s] most complete game so far this season?

Starkey: “That’s a good question. I’ll probably wait until I watch the film. We got off to a good start, kind of like the Duke game, but this time we didn’t have the slow start. Flau’jae really did a great job when we were struggling to score and they hit some tough shots and threes. People talk about her scoring, but she had double-figure rebounds, three steals and three blocks. I also thought we could have finished the game better—taken better care of the ball and not fouled to stop the clock. Perfection isn’t there yet, but we’re still working, and that’s a good thing.”

Q: How have you progressed rebounding since the Kentucky game?

Starkey: “There’s a great small-college coach, Don Meyer, who says it’s not what you teach, it’s what you emphasize. We’ve emphasized the heck out of rebounding—T-shirts, videos, extra drills. We even brought in a rebounding bubble that makes the ball bounce different ways. We’re charting rebounds, really stressing it. Our guards have done a great job picking up extra rebounds, Flau’jae with 10, Mikaylah with six, Jada with five. That’s 21 rebounds from three guards. Kim has really emphasized it since Kentucky, and the players have responded.”

Q: Do you think that chemistry helped you bounce back from the 0-2 start?

Johnson: “Yeah, we love each other so much, and we don’t want to let each other down. Between those lines it’s just you and your sisters. We’ve created a bond where we can hold each other accountable. If I mess up, I can say, “My bad, I should’ve had that,” and we move to the next play. When you love somebody, you want the best for them, and we’re all chasing the same goal. That’s a testament to our leaders like Mikaylah and Jada, getting everybody together and focused.”

Q: Coach, what parts of Jada’s game have grown the most from freshman to sophomore year?

Starkey: “Her leadership. She’s the player we thought she’d be, competitive defensively, quick off the bounce, able to shoot it. The biggest change is her voice. She’ll speak up to Flau’jae, Mikaylah, anyone, to get them in the right place. That leadership has been the biggest growth.”

Q: You get a lot of mid-range jumpers. How critical is that, and how do you teach it?

Starkey: “That’s Coach Mulkey, old school and a big believer in the mid-range. Players have the green light to shoot threes when open, but the first 15 minutes of every practice we’re shooting mid-range shots off ball screens and relocation. We’ve done that all year. The mid-range makes it hard for defenders, close out short and you hit the three; close out hard and you pull up. In this game it was huge because once you get past the mid-range, Beers takes up so much space at the rim. Being able to knock those shots down was crucial.”