The most anticipated game thus far in the LSU women’s basketball season lived up to the hype Monday.
The sell-out crowd of 15,157, the largest in PMAC history since it was renovated, was as electric as they’ve been all season, and the whiteout helped fuel the fire for the Tigers. In their biggest test of the season, the Tigers pulled off a 76-68 win over Tennessee.
“Everyone in the SEC picked Tennessee to finish ahead of us,” coach Kim Mulkey said. “Right or wrong, to me, if I’m a competitor, I’ll take that as a challenge.”
In games with as much pressure and expectations as possible, the veterans emerge, displaying their experience in these games. In this game, Alexis Morris took comfort in that role. She led the Tigers with a career-high of 31 points, six rebounds and three assists.
“I had to be the player to stay poised because of my experience. I’ve been here before,” Morris said. “I went and had a great game and played for my teammates…it was fun.”
Tennessee made an effort to limit Angel Reese, as she went into halftime with four points and four rebounds. But she eventually found her rhythm. Her double-double streak lives on, as she finished the game with 18 points and 17 rebounds.
“In the second half, I tried to just go out there and do what I could, be aggressive,” Reese said. “My teammates needed me, so I had to do whatever I could to go and get the win.”
The effort wasn’t just a two-woman show, however. Everyone that saw the floor did their part. LaDazhia Williams and Sa’Myah Smith both scored six points for the Tigers. Williams also grabbed eight rebounds. Flau’jae Johnson and Last-Tear Poa both added five points. Johnson also grabbed eight rebounds.
For Tennessee, Jordan Walker and Rickea Jackson led the way. Walker led the team with 19 points, five rebounds and three assists. Jackson was right behind her with 17 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Jordan Horston also added 11 points with three rebounds.
“It was a great environment to play basketball in today. I know we were really looking forward to it,” Tennessee head coach Kelly Harper, said. “Obviously it was competitive, got away from us there in the second half. They did a great job with really turning things around there.”
The Tigers certainly exceeded expectations Monday night, and they put all things in perspective. They proved that what they have going isn’t a fluke. Tennessee’s record doesn’t reflect their talent; all their losses came to ranked opponents. LSU adding itself to that list shows that the team can compete with the best teams in the country.
“You just played a team that has played every good team out there,” Mulkey said. “They should be ranked in the top 25. That’s the best offensive rebounding team we have played this year, by far.”
LSU certainly leaves Monday’s matchup with a whole lot of confidence and a whole lot of momentum. Their record improves to 21-0 overall and 9-0 in SEC play.
They look to continue their perfect season Thursday at home against Georgia. Tip-off is at 7 p.m., and the game will be aired on SEC Network+.
