LSU made the trip to the music city to take on Vanderbilt, and the Tigers had the better rhythm, coming away with an 85-62 victory.
One of the biggest questions that has come up for Kim Mulkey and her Tigers as the season’s progressed is how they play on the road against SEC teams. They came into the matchup with Vanderbilt having won two of their four SEC away games.
But it was all LSU in Nashville Thursday night.
“We’re playing better now. We’re probably playing better basketball than we have all year,” Mulkey said. “But we have to get better defensively, and we have.”
Dominant rebounding partnered with efficient scoring from LSU
Five Tigers finished the game with double-digit points, but where they separated themselves was in the paint. LSU outrebounded Vanderbilt 57 rebounds to 35.
From the field, the Tigers made 32 of their 73 shots (43.8%).
“I always love that we usually have five players score in double-figures,” Mulkey said. “We can score at all positions.”
Angel Reese and Aneesah Morrow found their usual rhythm in the paint together, each finished with double-double performances. Reese finished the game with 15 points and 16 rebounds, and Morrow finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
In addition, of LSU’s 57 rebounds, 26 of them came as offensive rebounds. Reese led the team in offensive rebounds with seven, and Morrow added five rebounds on offense..
Flau’jae Johnson scored a team-high 17 points, shooting 6-for-15 from the field. Mikaylah Williams added 10 points and six rebounds, and Hailey Van Lith also added 13 points and seven rebounds. Williams and Van Lith each had a 3-pointer, making up LSU’s two total 3-pointers.
Aalyah Del Rosario added nine points and five rebounds off the bench.
LSU’s perimeter defense lessened over time, but remained solid
LSU’s perimeter defense was solid in the first half, especially against a team that is fond of shooting the three-ball.
Vanderbilt finished the game shooting six of 32 from behind the three-point line. The Commodores knocked down three 3-pointers midway through the third quarter to bring them within 12 points.
Ryanne Allen led the Commodores with two 3-pointers, and she finished with six points.
Turnovers did not work in LSU’s favor
The Tigers finished the game with 18 turnovers compared to Vanderbilt’s 19. In addition, Vanderbilt came away with 13 steals compared to LSU’s 12.
Johnson, Reese, Van Lith, Williams and Last-Tear Poa all had three turnovers each.
However, Aneesah Morrow seemed to have a knack for taking the ball away from Vanderbilt Thursday night. Of LSU’s 12 steals, Morrow came away with six of them.
It was a block party for both teams
As a team, LSU finished the game with six blocks, and Vanderbilt was right behind with five.
For LSU, Johnson, Reese, Williams, Morrow, Poa and Del Rosario each had a block.
Who’s next?
The Tigers will return home to take on Alabama as a part of the Play4Kay Series. The game will tip-off on Sunday at 3 p.m. C.T. from the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, and it will be televised live on ESPN2.
