A basket in the literal last second by Kailyn Gilbert kept LSU undefeated, beating Tennessee on the road 89-87.
Gilbert seemed to show up whenever it mattered most. When the Vols began a run, she ended it. When the game was on the line, she came through. Her 22-point performance was the difference against LSU’s hardest opponent yet.
Both teams shot cold early, LSU from mid-range and Tennessee from three. The Vols inability to threaten behind the arc helped LSU silence them underneath. They allowed zero points in the paint in the first quarter.
Offense hit a new gear once it began to capitalize on fast transitions, primarily from Gilbert and Flau’jae Johnson.
In the second, Aneesah Morrow tapped into her putback dominance. She had 13 points and five rebounds in that quarter alone. Because of this, LSU led by 18 halfway through the second.
The Vols proceeded to go on a 12-0 run, thanks to a couple 3-pointers by Jewel Spear and success around the boards. As Mulkey’s philosophy dictates, the Tiger defense was enough to taint this and maintain the lead into halftime.
The second half epitomized back-and-forth. Spear and Talaysia Cooper kept the Vols in it every time LSU started to pull away. Inversely, Gilbert silenced every glimpse of victory Tennessee had. She scored 11 points in the third.
The margin was no larger than three points in the final seven minutes of the game.
The Vols continuously put on the pressure with five 3-pointers in the fourth. Unphased, the Tigers leaned on their guards to answer back every time. Especially Mikaylah Williams, who had seven points in the quarter.
With under a minute left, Spear sank a three to tie it at 87. A Morrow rebound gave LSU the ball with just over 20 seconds on the clock.
Gilbert, charged with confidence, drove into the paint and tossed it over her body with her left hand, almost turning backwards as she did it.
The ball hit net and LSU won 89-87 over Tennessee.
Gilbert also made a last-second basket earlier in the season to beat Washington. Against Stanford, she made a 3-pointer in the final minute to power a comeback win.
Gilbert finished 9-for-17 with 22 points, five rebounds, one assist and two steals.
Much of the game, including the final minutes, had Morrow as the only forward on the floor. The guard play was fundamental toward the game’s outcome, helping to spark transition offense. The team had 34 points from fast breaks.
Johnson was 9-for-22 with 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
“I went with an unconventional lineup tonight,” head coach Kim Mulkey said. “I went very, very small and I think it was very effective.”
LSU had 60 of their points in the paint, many coming from Morrow on putbacks.
Morrow ended the game going 9-for-17 with 23 points, 21 rebounds and two assists.
After a slow first half, the Vols started to heat up and threatened the Tigers’ undefeated record every possession of the second half. Persistence from LSU’s guards and a Gilbert game winner advances the Tigers to 18-0.
