LSU’s win-streak increased to seven straight wins Thursday night, as the Tigers came away with an 80-54 win over Georgia.
With this win, the Tigers clinched the No. 2 seed for the SEC Tournament, which begins on Friday, March 8.
It was an efficient scoring night across the board from the Tigers, as they shot 32-for-71 (45.1%) as a team on the night and 5-for-17 (29.4%) from three. All five of LSU’s starters scored double-digit points on the night.
Georgia’s zone defense coupled with its scoring kept it in the game early on. But LSU gained separation, holding the Bulldogs to just eight points in the second quarter.
The Tigers were a force in the paint
A familiar sight to Tigers fans was seen once again Thursday night, as Angel Reese and Aneesah Morrow complimented each other in the paint and held control.
Reese came off the court in the first quarter with a limp but returned to the game shortly after and kept her foot on the gas. She finished the game with a double-double in 17 points and 15 rebounds, marking her 19th double-double of the season.
Morrow was right behind with a double-double of her own in 16 points and 10 rebounds, marking her 17th double-double of the season. She also distributed the ball efficiently, adding five assists to her performance.
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“I never take that for granted. I always tell our coaches, we see those kids every day, we know what they do in games, we can’t take it for granted,” Mulkey said. “Those rebounds don’t just fall in their lap, those points don’t just happen. They work for that.”
LSU’s guards had just as much control
Hailey Van Lith seems to have found her role on the team, balancing both a point guard position and a go-to scorer. She finished with a team-high 18 points and four assists on the night; she’s scored in double figures in three of her last four games.
Van Lith also made an impact from behind the three-point line, shooting 4-for-7. She also shot 5-for-12 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
Van Lith seems to be playing with a sense of confidence, embracing the balance of scoring and moving the ball around the floor. Having her experience in both aspects of her offensive play will serve the Tigers well heading into the postseason.
“I think when you have success, you get more relaxed, you get more comfortable. This isn’t Hailey’s first rodeo,” Mulkey said. “She’s a senior, she knows how to play this game, and she’s very confident shooting right now.”
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Flau’jae Johnson, who is from Savannah, Georgia, contributed with an all-around performance in her return to the Peach State. She finished with 14 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Mikaylah Williams also scored 11 points along with seven rebounds and an assist, shooting 3-for-12 from the field and 1-for-5 from three.
Stellar all-around defense from LSU
LSU forced 16 turnovers from Georgia and outscored the Bulldogs 20-11 in points off of turnovers. The Tigers only had nine turnovers as a team on the night.
To add to Reese and Morrow’s control in the paint, LSU outrebounded Georgia 43-35. The Tigers also outscored Georgia 38-8 for points in the paint. In addition, LSU outrebounded Georgia 26-24 on defense.
On offense, LSU outrebounded Georgia 17-11, leading to 23 second-chance points for the Tigers as opposed to Georgia’s five.
The Tigers were also solid on the perimeter, holding Georgia to 36.2% shooting from the field, and 33.3% from three.
“I thought defensively we were very patient…they came out smoking in the first quarter. We didn’t get rattled, we just kept plugging away.”
In the loss…
Javyn Nicholson led the Bulldogs 17 points and five rebounds. She led with eight third-quarter points in a 14-0 scoring run at the end of the third quarter.
“The lesson to be learned is that they cut the lead, give them credit,” Mulkey said.
De’Mauri Flournoy had six points in the third quarter, and she finished the game with nine points, two rebounds and three assists.
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Asia Avinger scored 10 points, four rebounds and five assists. She shot 4-for-12 from the field and 2-for-3 from three.
Avinger especially had success in the first quarter, as all 10 of her points came in the opening quarter. She shot 4-for-5 from the field and 2-for-2 from three to keep the Bulldogs within single digits of the Tigers early on.
Taniyah Thompson added seven points and six rebounds.
Who’s next?
LSU will return to Baton Rouge on Sunday for its regular season finale against Kentucky, where the Tigers will celebrate Senior Day.
The game will tip-off at 1 p.m. C.T. from the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, and it will be televised live on the SEC Network.
