The Tigers came up short Saturday night in the SEC Tournament semifinals, falling to Tennessee 69-67.
Despite LSU’s loss, Saturday night’s matchup is why the month of March in college basketball is as action-packed as it is. Both teams were competitive throughout the whole game, but a questionable call may have been the swinging factor in this matchup.
“I thought we were shooting two free throws, so I was heading back to whatever to get my thoughts together” Kim Mulkey said. “Then they said, ‘Coach, they called on offensive foul.’ I just thought she was shooting two free throws.”
The Tiger’s first half was as good as they’d want it to be. But the second half was just the opposite. The Lady Vols were down by as many as 17 points in the first half, and 14 points at halftime. But they played aggressive and fought back to take their first lead with five minutes in the fourth quarter. The Tigers fought to battle back from there, but they couldn’t get back in the driver’s seat.
“We didn’t execute,” Alexis Morris said. “Their zone kind of shook us up a little bit, but it was us, we didn’t execute. We needed to execute and come together and be coachable.”
The common thing LSU has had trouble adjusting to this season has been the zone defense. Tennessee ran a zone Saturday night, and Georgia did the same when they took the Tigers to overtime in Baton Rouge. Good teams, especially come March Madness, will see this flaw and operate accordingly. In this case, Tennessee did just that and came out on top.
The Volunteers were led by the two players they’ve been able to look to all season: Rickea Jackson and Jordan Horston. Both finished with double-double performances; Jackson with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and Horston with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Their performance Saturday night showed why they are both predicted to be Top 10 WNBA Draft picks.
“I don’t think anyone wanted any part of Rickea Jackson tonight,” Mulkey said. “She’s a great player. I just thought Horston was a great player, she’d get some points and then she got rebounds.”
But Jillian Hollingshead was the “X-Factor” for Tennessee, as she provided a presence in the paint that the Lady Vols needed. She finished with 11 points and sparked Tennessee’s second half surge. She often found her way to the rim in times that they were able to convert on a mistake by LSU. Tess Darby added 10 points for the Lady Vols, including two made three-pointers.
Angel Reese led the Tigers in scoring with another double-double performance, finishing with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Alexis Morris was right behind her with 20 points, along with five assists, five steals and two made three-pointers. Flau’jae Johnson finished with nine points and five rebounds, and LaDazhia Williams added six points and nine rebounds.
Mulkey and her team leaves the SEC Tournament with a bad taste in their mouths yet again, as last year they lost in their tournament opener to Kentucky. Although this season was a step in the right direction, as Mulkey got her first win in the SEC Tournament as LSU head coach, it still didn’t meet expectations. But this wakeup call may be of good timing for the Tigers.
As they get set to host their NCAA Tournament opener in Baton Rouge at the PMAC, an important thing for the team to remember is that they are beatable and not to take any team lightly. Coming off a loss may give the team that extra momentum they need to make an NCAA Tournament run.
But for now, the Tigers will brush this loss off and look to get better for March Madness. The team will find out their seeding and their first opponent on Sunday, March 12 when the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed. The Tigers will host their opening game of March Madness at the PMAC, and if they win their first-round matchup, they will also host the second round.
“We got some work to do,” Morris said. “We’ve got a lot of growing to do, a lot of young ones on our team, experience toughness. We got a week to prepare for playoffs and that’s what we’re pretty much focused on right now.”
