Once Noa Morro underwent surgery in early September to address a stress fracture she had developed in her shin, coach Kim Mulkey didn’t think she’d make her LSU debut until at least late November.

Now Morro’s on track to return much sooner.

Mulkey said Monday after the No. 9 Tigers (1-0) opened their season with a record-setting win over Southeastern Louisiana that the Spanish sharpshooter could “possibly” return to the floor as early as next week. The 6-foot-3 senior has been practicing, and she participated in pregame warm-ups both on Monday and ahead of LSU’s second exhibition game.

“I am so excited when we have her on the floor in practice,” Mulkey said, “because she just can flat-out stroke it out there.”

Morro is one of LSU’s six newcomers. She signed with the Tigers in April after playing four years of professional basketball overseas: two in FIBA’s EuroLeague, one in FIBA’s EuroCup and another in Spain’s top professional league. The senior has also played on Spanish national teams, most recently on the U20 squad that won silver at the 2024 FIBA EuroBasket tournament.

During her 2025-26 season with the Spanish club Kutxabank Araski, Morro scored 8.2 points and grabbed 7.5 rebounds per game in the 25 minutes she played, on average, each night. She also shot 38% from 3-point range on 3.1 attempts per contest.

LSU started sophomores ZaKiyah Johnson and Grace Knox in the frontcourt against the Lions. Freshmen Lola Lampley and Anna Minaeva came off the bench.

Johnson, a 6-foot forward from Kentucky, finished with a career-high 33 points to pair with 13 rebounds and five steals. She shot 14 of 19 from the field and 2 of 3 from 3-point range.

Morro can shoot from distance as well, so she could give the Tigers some extra offensive firepower when she returns to the floor.

“She brings a maturity,” Mulkey said. “She's 21 years old, played big-time basketball in Spain on the top team over there, and she's got to get in her mind. She hasn't played in six months.”