For Alabama, they brought their best. But LSU made adjustments and broke away in the second half to secure a 78-58 win.
The Crimson Tide had a 35-34 lead at halftime, but held Alabama to just 10 points in the third quarter.
Angel Reese was contained in the first half, but she found a crack in the Crimson Tide’s system in the second half. She finished with 20 points and 17 rebounds.
But Aneesah Morrow and Flau’jae Johnson especially stepped up when Alabama contained Reese.
Morrow finished with her 12th double-double of the season with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
With Reese being contained in the first half, Morrow finding the basket showed that it’s difficult for opposing teams to stop both Reese and Morrow. Morrow even shot 2 for 3 from three, and had three steals.
Johnson also remained consistent on Thursday night with 10 points and eight rebounds. The sophomore guard has been arguably one of LSU’s best defensive players, as she also finished with three steals.
Hailey Van Lith also had three steals along with eight points and four assists. Mikaylah Williams finished with 14 points for the Tigers, but once again remained quiet in the Tigers’ win.
In the loss to Auburn, Williams’ 3-point shot was eliminated; she 0 for 1 from three. Against Alabama, she was once again blank from three. At this point in the season, teams are starting to find ways on how to limit Williams from heating up.
Speaking of heating up, Aaliyah Nye kept Alabama in the game with her 3-point shot. She finished with 18 points, shooting 4 for 8 from three.
Loyal McQueen also finished in double figures with 15 points, shooting one for three from three, and 8 for 9 from the free throw line.
But despite Nye having her shot from three all game, LSU’s defense deemed more impactful. Including Nye, the Tigers got Alabama’s key players in foul trouble at the right times.
This was especially seen with Alabama’s senior guard, Sarah Ashlee Barker, who is also Alabama’s leading scorer with 16.4 points per game.
LSU held Barker to just eight points, and got her to four fouls before the end of the third quarter. She fouled out of the games with just under six minutes left in the game.
Nye also finished the game with four fouls. In fact, all five of Alabama’s starters finished the game with multiple fouls.
The Tigers showed Thursday night that they can attack from any phase of the game in order to secure a win. This time around, it came defensively. LSU forced 19 turnovers from Alabama as opposed to 12 turnovers from the Tigers.
The ability to find what’s working and run with it, along with the ability to make adjustments quickly and timely will serve LSU well down the road.
These are traits that help teams stay alive in the postseason, and along with the talent LSU has, they can certainly be a top threat if all the pieces come and stay together.
Now that the Tigers are back in the winner’s column, they look to stay there through another game.
They will take the court back in Baton Rouge at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Sunday against Arkansas. That game will tip-off at 4 p.m. C.T., and will be broadcasted on ESPN.