BATON ROUGE – No. 6 LSU (17-0, 2-0 SEC) defeated Auburn (9-6, 0-2 SEC) in the PMAC on Sunday, 73-63.
Aneesah Morrow earned her 15th double-double of the season with a 21-point, 14-rebound performance. Morrow is now one double-double shy of 90 which would tie her for the third most in NCAA DI history.
Kailyn Gilbert added 17 points on 8-10 shooting off the bench. She was a perfect 6-6 in the first half with 13 points, including 11 points on 5-5 shooting in the second quarter alone.
“I just trust in the work I put in,” Gilbert said. “I was here early in the morning, getting up shots, before the game, getting up shots. I might come back tonight and get up more shots. I am working every chance I can.”
“I thought KG coming off the bench was really the difference in the ballgame,” Coach Mulkey said.
“(Gilbert) pushes the tempo every game and she is a big impact for our team,” Morrow said. “She brings the energy. She is really quiet, but she brings the energy for our team.”
Auburn was led by Audia Young, who scored 19 points on 7-10 shooting. DeYona Gaston entered Sunday’s game having scored at least 29 points in four straight games for Auburn, but LSU got her in foul trouble and held her to 16 points on 7-10 shooting.
LSU did not make a three in the game but shot it 56-percent from the field and went 13-17 from the free throw line.
The Tigers are on the road on Thursday at Tennessee. With the College Football Playoff in action Thursday night, LSU’s game will not air on linear television but will be streamed on the SEC Network+.
Morrow started the game for the Tigers with a floating layup from the baseline. LSU’s defense stood out early in the contest, as the Tigers forced Auburn to an 0-5 shooting mark to begin the first quarter. Auburn regained the lead at 9-5 midway through the first, but LSU responded with a Gilbert mid-range jumper to bring the game back within one score. Auburn strung together multiple scoring possessions to end the quarter with a 16-11 lead over LSU. Morrow led LSU with 7 points and 2 rebounds in the quarter. LSU committed 7 turnovers but held Auburn to 6-17 shooting in the first quarter to stay within striking distance of the lead.
Morrow found the nylon on a putback layup to start the second quarter for LSU. After fighting for multiple defensive stops, the Tigers found success on the offensive end to regain the lead in the contest at 19-16. Gilbert was able to split the defense on a drive and earn the and-1 bucket to build on the LSU lead. Gilbert stayed hot in the quarter with two more tough buckets to give LSU a 28-19 lead and force an Auburn timeout. LSU’s offense found more success out of the timeout, going back to Morrow and Gilbert for points in the paint. At the half, LSU led Auburn 38-24. LSU outscored Auburn 27-7 in the second quarter, with Gilbert scoring 11 points on 5-5 shooting in the period. Morrow also contributed 8 points and 5 rebounds to boost the Tigers into a strong position.
LSU started the second half on a strong note, with Johnson scoring the first 4 points of the third quarter for the Tigers. Auburn embarked on a 6-0 run in the third to make the score 46-35 entering the media timeout. Gilbert got the Tigers back into rhythm and dropped a mid-range jumper to increase the LSU lead to 17. Morrow then brought down her 10th rebound of the contest to earn her 15th double-double of the season. At the end of the third quarter, LSU held a 54-39 lead over Auburn.
Mikaylah Williams made her presence felt in the beginning of the fourth quarter, with two difficult buckets in the paint to dazzle the PMAC crowd. Johnson got going midway through the fourth with a euro step layup through contact to put the Tigers up 25 points. LSU maintained its offensive success in the fourth quarter to ensure the lead, as Johnson and Williams led the way in final minutes of the contest. Auburn attempted to mount a comeback with little time left in the game, but LSU’s lead proved to be too big of a deficit, as the Tigers won the contest 73-63.
**LSU Press Release
