Dawn Staley puts emphasis on officiating ahead of enticing game vs Kim Mulkey’s LSU

Dawn Staley's South Carolina is set to play the LSU Tigers on Friday. The last time the two teams played each other was during the SEC championship in March, and it had some problems.

Although South Carolina won the conference title, the most talked-about part of the game was the fight between Flau'jae Johnson, MiLaysia Fulwiley and Kamilla Cardoso. During her pregame media availability, Dawn Staley, asked about last year's incident, responded (01:00):

"Obviously, we brought it to their attention. We feel like the officiating is going to be on it at the start of the game. Some of the things that we did in that game, we're not going to be able to do. Some of the things they did, they're not be able to do.

"So for us, it's about adjusting to how the officiating is going to be. It's probably going to be tight, I would if I coordinate officials. But I don't think our teams are in the place or in that head space."

The fight went down in the final minutes of the fourth quarter after then-LSU sophomore Johnson had intentionally fouled Fulwiley. South Carolina guard Ashlyn Watkins stepped in for her teammate's defense. The two exchanged some words before the LSU guard gave Watkins a hand shove.

That led to Kamilla Cardoso body-checking Flau'jae Johnson, sparking a bench-clearing as players and staff from both teams came onto the floor to de-escalate the situation.

In a post-game press conference, LSU coach Kim Mulkey blamed the unfair officiating, saying that it led to heavy tensions between players eventually ending in the scuffle.

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South Carolina coach Dawn Staley shares her game plan against LSU's Aneesah Morrow

The LSU Tigers are undefeated this season, and leading them from the front is senior guard Aneesah Morrow. She's averaging 18.7 points and 14.2 rebounds. Morrow has recorded double-doubles in all except one game this season.

Talking about her game plan to contain the guard, Dawn Staley said:

“I mean, you really can’t stop her, (scoring and rebounding) is what she does. I think you have to find ways in which to make it hard for her to score, that’s one. And then, you got to gain rebounds. You got to gang box out. That’s about will and positioning and, hopefully, making her play on the other side of the ball.

"She can’t just do what she does best and be able to rest on the defensive side of the ball. So, we got to make her play on both ends. We got enough bigs that will give her different looks to make her play.”

Dawn Staley's South Carolina will take on the LSU Tigers at 5 p.m. EST in the Colonial Life Arena.