The Tigers needed to get back in the winner’s column, and they were able to do so with a 106-66 win over Florida on Sunday afternoon.
LSU was coming off of back-to-back losses; a 76-70 loss to South Carolina, and a 77-73 upset to Mississippi State that following Monday.
After not playing for six days, Kim Mulkey and her Tigers had the opportunity to take a step back and reevaluate.
It seems they used that time wisely.
Hailey Van Lith sets LSU career-high
Hailey Van Lith finished Sunday’s matchup with the most points she’s scored in an LSU uniform.
The graduate transfer from Louisville scored 21 points along with seven rebounds and two steals. She shot 6-for-11 from the field and 9-for-10 from the free throw line.
Last season at Louisville, Van Lith averaged 19.7 points per game, but she transitioned into more of a facilitator role when she came to LSU. Being one of the more experienced players on the roster, the Tigers needed that type of player on the floor.
Tiger fans saw the version of Van Lith from Louisville on Sunday, as she wasn’t afraid to shoot the ball, and she knew her shot was there.
“I think I just decided to be myself,” Van Lith said. “My teammates have been encouraging me. My coaches have been encouraging me. So I was finally able to just find that.”
The Tigers found their shot early and it stayed
Offensively, the shots were falling for the Tigers. As a team, they finished shooting 37-for-75 from the field (49.3%), and 7-for-15 from three (46.7%).
Mikaylah Williams scored 21 points, knocked down three 3-pointers and shot 9-for-12 from the field.
Angel Reese finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 4-for-6 from the field, and 6-for-8 from the foul line. But she led the team in assists with six.
“She has talent around her now…now that she’s down there in 1-on-1 coverage, she can get some better looks,” Mulkey said. “She loves assists.”
Aneesah Morrow finished with a double-double in 18 points and 20 rebounds. She also knocked down two 3-pointers.
Flau’jae Johnson added 10 points along with two 3-pointers, and Last-Tear Poa added nine points and four assists, shooting 3-for-6 from the field.
Aalyah Del Rosario came off the bench and scored 11 points and nine rebounds.
The time spent on defensive practice translated into game play
But Mulkey and her Tigers emphasized their defensive schemes while preparing for Sunday’s matchup with Florida.
The Tigers outrebounded Florida 59-34, had 17 turnovers compared to Florida’s 20 and blocked seven shots compared to Florida’s two blocked shots.
“We did have good perimeter defense today,” Mulkey said. “The bye week helped us focus on us.”
Morrow led the team with 20 rebounds. She finished the first quarter with nine rebounds, and the first half with 12. Reese finished the game with double-digit rebounds as well, as she added 10.
LSU also stayed further out of foul trouble as a team, ending the game with 20 team fouls compared to Florida’s 28.
In the loss…
Both of Florida’s leading scorers came off the bench in Aliyah Matharu and Leilani Correa. In fact, Matharu came into the game ranked second in the Southeastern Conference in points per game at 18.3, and Correa came in ranked third in the conference with 17.9 points per game.
The two led Florida on Sunday, as Matharu scored a team-high 20 points, and Correa was right behind with 13.
Who’s next?
The Tigers will head to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt on Thursday. The matchup will tip-off at 8 p.m. C.T. from Memorial Gymnasium at Vanderbilt University, and will be televised on the SEC Network.
