LSU women’s basketball didn’t just want a win over Ole Miss on Thursday night; it needed a win.

Not just because the LSU Tigers needed to steady itself after the loss to South Carolina, but because it revealed something deeper about where this team stands as March approaches.

Yes, LSU showed toughness. Yes, the closing was much better and hard-fought. But the bigger takeaway isn’t about the result. It’s about what the Tigers are still trying to clean up, and whether the Tigers can do it consistently enough to compete for a championship.

Same habits, different outcomes

In the loss to South Carolina, LSU let execution slip late. Missed free throws were a huge struggle versus the Gamecocks. The Tigers posted a 60.9% success rate compared to South Carolina’s 88.2%.

Since the free points weren’t so free, LSU’s chance to stay in the game slowly eroded.

Stagnant offense and slow defensive rotations were also big factors in the loss against South Carolina. It was almost like LSU forgot how to shoot the ball, shooting only 2-12 on 3-point shots.

Against Ole Miss, some of those tendencies crept back in. There were stretches where the ball stopped moving and possessions where LSU simply didn’t finish through the play.

On defense, LSU had settled for wavering defensive communication, allowing second-chance points.

The difference versus Ole Miss? LSU corrected the mistakes before it cost the game.

The adjustment allowed the Tigers to come back from a nearly double-digit deficit to win.

That shows growth for the Tigers. But it should also serve as a warning.

Against elite teams, those lapses don’t leave room for recovery. South Carolina capitalized. Ole Miss couldn’t fully, and LSU can’t just assume there will always be a second chance to come back and fight for a win.

Late-game execution

One of the clearest areas of emphasis moving forward must be late-game execution.

LSU doesn’t lack talent, and there isn’t a lack of scoring options. What separates championship teams from contenders is composure in the final minutes.

LSU did just that, outscoring Ole Miss 24 to seven in the last quarter of play.

Getting the right shot is another necessity for bringing drives home, and Malaysia Fulwiley was the perfect example of this against Ole Miss. She scored 26 points, a career high, but also took shots only when they were there.

On top of her scoring, she made sure the possessions ended with the right shot. There were either points added to the board, a trip to the free throw line or a connection with someone else if she couldn’t get there fast enough.

After the South Carolina loss, Kim Mulkey made it clear that the small details matter. Against Ole Miss, LSU showed improvement at the line and in half-court sets down the stretch. Now the challenge is turning improvement into consistency.

March games are rarely blowouts. It’s a grind, and grinders are decided by discipline in the details.

Defensive consistency

Another area that defines where LSU goes from here is sustained defensive intensity.

When LSU locks in defensively —- contesting without fouling, finishing possessions with rebounds and communicating on switches —- this team looks like a Final Four team.

When the Tigers relax for even two or three possessions, momentum shifts quickly, and that’s where it all starts to go wrong.

The Ole Miss game reinforced that LSU’s ceiling is tied directly to its defense. If the Tigers want to avoid repeating the frustrations of the South Carolina matchup, defensive consistency has to become non-negotiable.

Over the course of the season, Mulkey has made sure defensive effort is always the highest priority. But the Tigers let it slip at the beginning of the season, but it was addressed and fixed during the middle of the season. Now, it’s beginning to unravel again.

Continuing growth into March

The loss to South Carolina exposed weaknesses; the win over Ole Miss showed adjustment; now the next step is elimination.

LSU is in the stretch of the season where habits either harden or disappear. The Tigers need to reignite itself and refine those little things that make it a championship team.

Sharper decision-making in tight moments and cleaner offensive flow for stretches of the game will be key.

Although LSU is doing a great job on corrections for most of the season, this part of conference play reveals the real problems.

The encouraging part? LSU has already shown it can respond to the call.

LSU is past bouncing back; now it’s whether LSU can sustain the level of play required to win the games deep in March.