(photo credit: @lsuwbkb on X)
BATON ROUGE – Flau’jae Johnson, Aneesah Morrow and Mikaylah Williams led No. 7 LSU (1-0) with big performances in the season opener as the Tigers defeated Eastern Kentucky (0-1), 95-44, Monday evening in the PMAC.
Johnson scored 25 points on 10-15 shooting along with 5 rebounds and 2 assists to lead the Tigers on the night. Morrow and Sa’Myah Smith both posted double-doubles in the contest, with Morrow scoring 20 with 10 rebounds and Smith posting 15 points and 11 rebounds. Williams put together 18 points on 7-14 shooting with 6 rebounds in the game.
“I think we want to be known as the team that will play hard the whole game,” Smith said.
“I think it’s obvious that Flau’jae is playing effortlessly,” Coach Kim Mulkey said. “She’s in the greatest shape she’s ever been; it’s coming easy for her. Morrow plays as hard as anybody I’ve coached. Mikaylah started taking it to the rim and played stronger.”
Three EKU players scored 9 points, but none of them scored in double figures. LSU limited EKU to shooting 26-percent from the field
The Tigers were efficient shooting the ball 59-percent from the field, making 5-11 three-point attempts. LSU also applied significant defensive pressure, forcing 21 turnovers. LSU shows a full-court press through a significant part of the game.
“I don’t know if pressing will be our identity, but if you’re going to get on the floor, I better be able to press and you better be able to help create some things,” Coach Mulkey said. “So, that’s why we are doing that from start to finish as much as we can.”
LSU got things started quickly, as Morrow drained a mid-range jumper with just seconds off the clock. Morrow added another two points just a few possessions later, grabbing a rebound and putting the ball in for a layup through some contact. Eastern Kentucky found success from three point range early, shooting 2-3 on their first 5 attempts. But, Johnson swung the momentum back in favor of the Tigers, scoring 8 points in quick succession to build the Tiger lead to 8 in the first. The Tigers kept pressure on the Colonels on the defensive end, forcing five turnovers in the first quarter and allowing only 28 percent shooting from the field. With only seconds remaining in the first, Mikaylah Williams spun into the paint and dropped a fading layup to increase the LSU lead to 16 at the break.
After struggling to get shots to fall to begin the second, Smith made a shift move in the paint and got a layup to drop. After allowing an EKU layup, Shayeann Day-Wilson registered her first points as a Tiger with a three pointer to bring LSU’s lead back to 16. The Tigers made their presence known on defense, causing back-to-back traveling violations on the Colonels and capitalizing on the possessions with points. With time winding down in the half, Williams was able to pull up from the mid-range and cash a jumper to give the Tigers a 24 point lead at half. At the half, LSU 18-34 from the field and 3-6 from three, while the Colonels were 10-31 and 4-14 from three. LSU held Eastern Kentucky to 32 percent shooting overall in the first half, and forced 13 turnovers. Johnson paced the Tigers through two quarters, posting 16 points on 6-9 shooting.
The Tiger kept the offense going in the third with Morrow, Williams and Johnson getting shots to fall early. After a Johnson defensive rebound, the Tigers pushed the ball up the court and found Morrow for the easy two points to give LSU a 30 point advantage with 7 minutes left in the third. The Tigers continued to apply pressure on the Colonels, stifling possessions with steals and forced turnovers. Johnson kept her hot streak going in the third after a made 3 pointer from the right wing. After forcing a turnover, Day-Wilson made an eye-popping entry pass to a wide open Morrow in the paint, who cashed the easy layup. After three quarters, LSU led Eastern Kentucky 73-34 and held the Colonels to 28 percent from the field.
After forcing yet another Colonel turnover, the Tigers found Williams in the mid-range for a jumper to stack on to the lead. The Colonels were stout on defense in the beginning of the fourth, keeping the LSU offense at bay and capitalizing on shots. Aalyah Del Rosario registered her first block of the game, which led to a Kailyn Gilbert jumper. Gilbert then took the ball down the floor and made a tough and-1 layup to spark the LSU offense in the final period. Smith collected her tenth rebound of the night on a defensive board to register her first double-double of the 2024 season. Just after Smith, Morrow brought in her tenth rebound of the game that earned the standout forward her first double-double of the season.
LSU Athletics Communication Release
