Coming off a loss to South Carolina, a positive response from LSU was important on Monday against Mississippi State.
But the response was quite he opposite.
The Tigers fell in Starkville 77-73, marking the first time LSU has lost back-to-back games since Kim Mulkey’s first season in Baton Rouge.
Jerkaila Jordan was Mississippi State’s answer, as she led the team with 24 points, shooting 9-for-17 from the field and 3-for-3 from behind the 3-point line. She also noted four rebounds and two assists. Darrion Rogers was right behind with 19 points, shooting 4-for-8 from three and 6-for-10 from the field.
For starters, LSU’s 21 turnovers weren’t going to put it in a winning position. Five of those turnovers came from Mikaylah Williams. Flau’jae Johnson and Last-Tear Poa each had four, and Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith each had three.
“You can’t do that at this level,” Mulkey said. “You can’t just turn the ball over, especially on the road.”
Miracle Sheppard played a large part in LSU’s abundance of turnovers. She had six steals along with 12 points and five assists. Jordan also had five steals.
Mississippi State had 22 turnovers, and was outrebounded by LSU 35-33. But the rebounds for Mississippi State were more equally distributed, and that’s all in part to the depth Mississippi State had over LSU.
In addition to lack of depth, foul trouble once again presented itself. Reese, Poa and Williams each had four fouls.
Reese led the team with 20 points and 18 rebounds. She was arguably the most consistent LSU player against South Carolina, and her being fouled out with four minutes left in the game played a big role in why the Tigers were on the losing end.
Not only does Reese have to be somewhat careful in staying out of foul trouble, especially early in the game, but it would be especially helpful if LSU had a response that it can use in situations like these.
Eight LSU players made an appearance in the game as opposed to Mississippi State’s 10.
It’s been a consistent trend that LSU has been outnumbered in options off the bench. In the postseason, it may be almost every game that the Tigers have less options than their opponents.
“When you deal with that through the season, you have to keep on keeping on and make them believe,” Mulkey said. “Fatigue may be some of it, but you have to be tougher…I really think that’s where experience plays a big role.”
While the Tigers starting five can at times be a sure thing, many other teams will have the same to say with several options on the bench to support it. This may be the difference maker for LSU between a win and another game to play or a loss and the end of its season once the postseason arrives.
Offensively, along with Reese, Johnson and Aneesah Morrow both scored in double figures; Johnson scored 18 points, and Morrow finished with 14 along with six rebounds. Williams added 11 points as well.
Nobody except Reese was effective enough to win the game rebounding, which was an unfamiliar sight from this LSU team. Of LSU’s 35 rebounds, Reese grabbed 18 of them.
In addition, the 3-point shooting wasn’t there for the Tigers. They shot just 3-for-14 from behind the arc as opposed to Mississippi State’s 9-for-17.
Between the lack of options, offensive production, collective rebounding and too many turnovers, LSU wasn’t in a place to win this basketball game.
With the momentum Mississippi State had at several times throughout the game, LSU keeping it as close as it did still gave it a chance. Still having a chance to win the game with all that went wrong says a lot about the general talent LSU has.
The Tigers are running out of games that allow them to rely on sheer talent. They need to dig deep within the team and see who can step up, and they need to become an all-around team. Running a consistent six or seven players just isn’t cutting it anymore.
If they don’t, their postseason may be short lived. And there is too much talent in the program for that to be the case.
“I think everybody gets caught up in rankings, and how great they are, but at the end of the day, experience matters,” Mulkey said. “It’s a little bit of everything.”
