(Photo courtesy of @lsuwbkb on X)
GREENVILLE, S.C. – No. 3 seed LSU (28-5) was shorthanded for much of the second half against the No. 2 seed Texas (31-2), ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll, but the Tigers battled within seven points, falling Saturday night in the SEC Tournament semifinals, 56-49.
Battled like Tigers pic.twitter.com/K5jwl3cjlY
— LSU Women’s Basketball (@LSUwbkb) March 9, 2025
With Flau’Jae Johnson out for the SEC Tournament as she gets healthy for March Madness, LSU was without two First Team All-SEC Players in the second half when Aneesah Morrow reaggravated a previous injury, keeping her out for the remainder of the game.
“She just reaggravated a mid foot sprain,” Coach Mulkey said of Morrow’s injury. “She was wearing a boot last week. She’ll wear a boot now. But she’s good to go. It’s my understanding, I’m not surprised, she’s fighting ’em to get back in the game. They’re like, oh, no. We got bigger fish to fry.”
Mikaylah Williams, LSU’s third First Team All-SEC, was in foul trouble for much of the second half as LSU relied on other players to step up. Although the Tigers never got a consistent stream of offense, LSU remained in the game with its defense. For parts of the second half LSU ran an effective 2-3 zone, playing a mix of that and its traditional man-to-man defense to battle the nation’s top-ranked team to the brink.
“I thought it was a game of defense,” Coach Kim Mulkey said. “I thought both teams were defensive-minded. Just a lot of aggressive play. Everything was hard.”
Saturday’s game was a defensive showcase as both teams finished the game shooting less than 35-percent. The only two statistical categories that Texas, the AP No. 1 team, outperformed LSU in were rebounding and free throws. LSU missed eight free throws and lost by seven.
“At this level, you got to make your free throws,” Coach Mulkey said.
Mikaylah Williams led the Tigers in scoring with 11 points while also contributing four assists.
Aneesah Morrow had 10 points and four steals when she got hurt. She will be ready to return for the NCAA Tournament.
Texas was led by Madison Booker, who finished with 25 points on 10-19 shooting. Rori Harmon, who finished with 10 points, was the only other Longhorn in double figures.
Selection Sunday is a week away and will be next Sunday, March 16 at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN. LSU is looking to host First- and Second-Round games in the PMAC for the fourth year in a row.
Mjracle Sheppard scored LSU’s first six points to give LSU an early 6-3 lead. Texas took its first lead, 8-6, with a three-pointer. After Texas extended the lead to four, Jersey Wolfenbarger scored her first points of the game, slashing through the lane. Neither team shot well in the first quarter, both below 35-percent, but Texas led 13-11 going into the second quarter.
Texas opened up its largest lead of the game at seven points to start the second quarter and LSU took a timeout. The Tigers answered with four points out of the timeout. With LSU’s defense playing strong, the Tigers were able to cut it to two, but then LSU went on a dry spell for nearly three minutes. The Longhorns took a lead into the break, 29-23.
LSU came out of the half with good energy, but Morrow went to the locker room early in the half with an ankle injury. The Tigers stayed in the game though, continuing to play solid defense. Williams got her own putback to put LSU within one at the five-minute mark. Texas extended its lead back to four and then Williams picked up her fourth foul, sending her to the bench. LSU, playing without its three First Team All-SEC players, remained in striking distance heading into the final quarter with a 40-34 deficit.
Jada Richard opened the quarter with a baseline pull up as the Tigers looked to make a push. LSU switched to a zone defense, daring Texas to shoot, but the Longhorns were not hitting. Williams, with four fouls, checked back in at the 6:42 mark with LSU down three. Texas extended it back to eight. LSU cut the deficit to six and LSU took a timeout with 2:12 remaining. Williams hit a jumper to cut it to four with 45.1 seconds remaining and took another timeout, leaving the Tigers with one timeout remaining. The Tigers never got close enough to complete the comeback.
**LSU Press Release**
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