Tessa Johnson Stuns LSU on Valentine’s Day: A Performance for the Ages.
Valentine’s Day is traditionally a night for love, roses, and candlelight. But inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge on Saturday, February 14, 2026, South Carolina junior guard Tessa Johnson had a different kind of gift in mind — and she delivered it with ruthless efficiency, stunning the No. 6 LSU Tigers in front of a sold-out crowd of 13,200 and sending the No. 3 Gamecocks home with a statement 79-72 road victory.
A Night Nobody in Baton Rouge Will Forget
The stage was set for one of the most anticipated matchups in women’s college basketball this season. ESPN’s College GameDay was on site, the PMAC was packed to the rafters, and LSU fans were electric with belief that this would finally be the night their Tigers snapped a long, painful losing streak to Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks. What they got instead was a masterclass from a player who, by the end of the night, had the opposing head coach screaming from the sidelines in visible desperation.
Tessa Johnson finished the night with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting, and was nearly unstoppable in the first half, where she scored 16 of those points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Tiger Rag By night’s end, she had connected on 4 of 5 three-point attempts, drawing comparisons to Caitlin Clark with her ability to create and knock down shots from deep. EssentiallySports
The Viral Moment: “Who Can Guard Tessa?”
The performance was dominant enough that it broke Kim Mulkey — one of the most decorated and intense coaches in the sport. During a timeout, Mulkey turned to her bench and furiously asked, “Who can guard Tessa?” — a moment that was captured on camera and quickly went viral across social media platforms. EssentiallySports
In her post-game press conference, Mulkey was blunt about the defensive breakdown: “I liked everything we did, except I didn’t like the way we guarded Tessa. We didn’t do what we were told to do for three days.” On3 It was a stunning admission — that despite three days of preparation and a clear game plan, her team simply could not execute against Johnson’s relentless offensive attack.
The moment captured the broader story of the night: LSU was lacklustre outside of Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams, while four of South Carolina’s five starters finished in double figures. College Sports Network But it was Tessa Johnson who commanded the full attention of the LSU sideline and the national audience watching at home.
History Made in Baton Rouge
Johnson’s performance wasn’t just impressive — it was historic. She became the first South Carolina player since Aliyah Boston in the 2019-20 season to record consecutive 20-point games against AP Top-10 opponents, according to ESPN insights. EssentiallySports
Her third-quarter basket through contact — finishing at the rim despite heavy defensive pressure and converting the and-one free throw — was the moment that pushed Mulkey over the edge. Shortly after that tough basket, Mulkey called timeout with 5:15 remaining in the third quarter, unable to watch another Johnson bucket go unanswered. Tiger Rag
LSU’s Desperate Search for an Answer
To her credit, Mulkey did eventually find a partial answer in the form of freshman guard Bella Hines. Hines subbed in for her first minutes of the game in the third quarter, immediately scored four points to give the team a spark, and also picked up Tessa Johnson on defense, helping hold her to just three points in that frame. Yahoo Sports
Mulkey praised Hines after the game, saying: “I saw a kid who I need to play more. She needs to take away some of the minutes of some of them because she got out there and guarded Tessa. She wasn’t afraid to bow up to her, and she made shots. She had a lot of energy and effort; she has my respect.” On3
But Hines’ heroics in the third quarter were too little, too late. By the time the final buzzer sounded, the damage was done.
The Bigger Picture: Gamecocks’ Dominance Continues
The win extended South Carolina’s stunning dominance over LSU — the Gamecocks have now won 18 straight games in the series, and Dawn Staley improved to 6-0 against Kim Mulkey since the latter arrived in Baton Rouge. College Sports Network The victory also carried a milestone for Staley, as it marked her 500th win as South Carolina’s head coach — a historic achievement that fans celebrated loudly.
Raven Johnson complemented Tessa’s performance brilliantly, delivering what many described as the most complete game of her career — scoring a career-high 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, while adding seven rebounds, six assists, four steals, and a block across more than 35 minutes. The Next Staley later described both Johnsons as the force that carried South Carolina “over the mountaintop.”
Meanwhile, LSU’s frustration wasn’t entirely about Tessa Johnson. The Tigers shot just 14-of-23 from the free-throw line, missing nine attempts. “We missed nine free throws. There’s the difference in the ballgame,” Mulkey said bluntly. On3 LSU guards outside of Flau’jae Johnson had a particularly rough night — Jada Richard shot 1-of-10 from the field and MiLaysia Fulwiley finished 1-of-8. Tiger Rag
Social Media Goes Wild
The viral clip of Mulkey’s sideline outburst quickly spread across platforms, with fans flooding Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to celebrate Johnson’s dominance. One fan exclaimed, “TESSA was on Fire from DEEP in the first half!!” College Sports Network The moment even inspired creativity beyond sports commentary — South Carolina alum Dwayne K. Sutton wrote and produced a tribute song titled “Who Can Guard Tessa?” dedicated to the Gamecocks guard, which began circulating widely on social media in the days following the game. EssentiallySports
What’s Next
South Carolina now sits at 25-2 overall and leads the SEC with an 11-1 record, with four games remaining before a potential regular-season title. The Gamecocks still face Alabama, Ole Miss, Missouri, and Kentucky on the road to sealing the crown. EssentiallySports
For Tessa Johnson, Valentine’s Day 2026 will be remembered as the night she announced herself on the biggest stage, forced one of college basketball’s greatest coaches to admit she had no answer, and — in doing so — gave South Carolina fans a performance they’ll be talking about for years to come. The question Kim Mulkey screamed in desperation that night has become something of a rallying cry: Who can guard Tessa?
Right now, nobody seems to have the answer.
South Carolina returns to action Thursday on the road against Alabama.
