LSU extended its winning streak in dominant fashion Thursday night, defeating Texas A&M 74-34 behind Angel Reese’s record breaking performance.
Reese led the way for LSU once again, extending her double-double streak finishing with 26 points and 28 rebounds. Those 28 rebounds set a new school single-game record. Seventeen of those rebounds came in the first half, and her dominance in the paint helped LSU get out to what became an insurmountable lead.
Despite a slow start, the Tigers were in control throughout the game. They led just 8-6 at the end of the first quarter, but a 26-6 second quarter gave LSU a commanding lead at the half. The run was capped off by a deep three-pointer at the buzzer by Reese, who finished the half with 13 points and 17 rebounds.
“I have an eye for the ball. I kind of get that from my mom, she was a great rebounder,” Reese said on her performance. “I kind of learned young I have a good eye for the ball and then I have good hands. And I feel like once the ball goes up, I know exactly where it’s gonna drop to.”
Scoring-wise, Flau’Jae Johnson had another impressive game from the field. She finished with 18 points on 7-15 shooting. Johnson and Reese were responsible for much of the offense, and were two of just three Tigers in double figures along with Last-Tear Poe.
“Flau’Jae is one of the best freshmen in the country. Write that,” Mulkey said. Flau’Jae is a perfectionist. I’m good with that. But you can’t allow a mistake to affect you. She’s learning how to fight through that. She’s been taken out of the last two games early in the game and she goes right back in and she does her thing.”
LSU’s dominance continued into the second half, with the Tigers outscoring Texas A&M 26-9 in the third quarter. LSU’s lead got out to as many as 46 points in the second half as the Tigers continued to pour it on late. However, Mulkey was unhappy with her team’s play at the beginning and end of the game
“There are things that we’ve got to fix. How we start the game and how we finish the game. Second and third quarter, we’re fine. But how we start the game and how we finish the game. It’s not good,” Mulkey said.
The story of the game for LSU was rebounding. Outside of Reese’s 28 rebounds, the Tigers outrebounded the Aggies 58-37. LaDahzia Williams was another key contributor for LSU on the glass, finishing with seven rebounds to go along with her six points.
With the win, LSU improves to 15-0 on the season and 3-0 in conference play. It’s also LSU’s 13th win by 20 or more points this season and 10th win by 30 or more points. The Tigers’ early season dominance has carried over into SEC play so far, as the schedule continues to ramp up.
LSU’s next test will be a road game against Kentucky this Sunday, a rematch of LSU’s upset loss in the SEC Tournament last season. Tip off is scheduled for 1 p.m. and the game will be streaming live on SEC Network+.
