BATON ROUGE — More depth is coming just the nick of time for LSU women’s basketball.
As the No. 7 Tigers (6-0) wrapped up this opening stretch of nonconference games with a 85-74 victory over Tulane ON Wednesday night inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, the intensity of the games start to flip in the Bahamas for their first tests against Power Four teams.
With a matchup against Washington (4-1) and possibly a first ranked game against No. 18 North Carolina State (2-2) looming, sophomore guard Mjracle Sheppard is set to make her LSU debut Monday against the Huskies, LSU coach Kim Mulkey told reporters following the Tulane win.
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“Mjracle will supposedly be back Friday practice and can go next week. That will help us,” Mulkey said. “Now, will she be rusty? Sure she will. But I have to think her energy on the defensive end matters. And will make us better.”
Sheppard, a transfer from Mississippi State in her first year with the LSU program, suffered a stress reaction just days before the team’s first exhibition games and has missed the first six games of the 2024-25 season.
Mulkey brought Sheppard into LSU to be a defensive stopper, a skill set she displayed to her new coach wearing a maroon Mississippi State jersey last season when the Bulldogs knocked off the Tigers in Starkville.
In the game, Sheppard had six steals to go along with 12 points.
At Mississippi State, she averaged 5 points and had 48 steals in 35 games as a freshman.
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Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Mjracle Sheppard set to make LSU women’s basketball debut next week
