(photo credit: @lsuwbkb on X)
BATON ROUGE, La. – One point separated the teams going into the fourth quarter Monday night in the PMAC, but No. 5 LSU (19-0, 4-0 SEC) outlasted Vanderbilt (14-3, 1-3 SEC), 83-77, to remain undefeated headed into its bye.
Neither team created much separation in the game which featured seven ties and 13 lead changes. LSU’s final six point edge was the largest lead by either team Monday night.
“They all just care about winning, and we just made plays,” said Coach Kim Mulkey whose team is now 5-0 in games decided by 10 points or less. “We’re going to make them sometimes and sometimes we’re not. They’re not afraid of the moment.”
“I think it is just togetherness,” Flau’Jae Johnson explained about winning numerous tight games. “I feel like we really come together in those moments when the spotlight is big or we are in a tight game, we just know how to come together.”
The Tigers are off until Sunday when they will face Florida in Gainesville at noon CT on the SEC Network.
Aneesah Morrow entered rarified air in the fourth quarter when she grabbed her 1,500th career rebound, making her only the eighth player in NCAA history to have 2,500 career points and 1,500 career rebounds. Morrow also notched her 9th double-double in a row and 17th of the season on Monday night with her 23 points and 15 rebounds. She now has eight games this season with at least 20 points and 15 rebounds.
“I have once had the game taken away from me, so every time I step on the floor, every night, I give it my all, because you never know when your last game ends,” Morrow said, noting multiple knee injuries she had in high school. “And I love basketball that much, so I have to come out and give everything that I got, whether it’s practice or actual game.”
LSU was also led by Johnson and Mikaylah Williams. Johnson finished with 25 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, to go with 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Williams finished with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Sa’Myah Smith led the team with four blocks.
The Commodores’ were led by Khamil Pierre and Jordyn Oliver with 28 and 23 points, respectively. Pierre led Vanderbilt with 8 rebound as well. Mikayla Blakes was their only other double-digit scorer with 12 points, but LSU forced her to turn it over nine times.
Both teams started the game hot in the first quarter, as the period ended in a 21-21 tie. Morrow and Mikaylah Williams both finished with 7 points for the Tigers, while Vanderbilt’s Kahmil Pierre led the Commodores with 9 points in the period. The Commodores were able to take a 13-8 lead with 5:25 to go, but LSU responded with a 6-0 run that was capped by a second chance bucket from Williams.
The second quarter was equally as tight as the first, as the two teams traded buckets throughout the period. LSU was able to go up by as many as five early in the period, but Vanderbilt responded to every Tiger make with a make of their own. The first half of play ended in a 37-37 tie.
The Commodores jumped out to a 44-40 lead early in the second half thanks to a steal and a bucket from Kahmil Pierre. LSU responded with two quick buckets from Morrow and an off-turnover layup from Williams as the Tigers retook a 46-44 lead into the first media timeout. As the teams continued to trade buckets, the period ended 58-57 in favor of the Tigers.
The fourth quarter proved to be worthy of the price of admission, as neither team seemed to be able to conjure a large lead. The highlight of the period came at the 6:38 mark when Flau’jae Johnson heaved up a last second three pointer to beat the shot clock, and banked it in to give LSU a 65-63 lead.
With 1:46 left to go in the game, Flau’jae Johnson sunk a layup to extend the Tiger lead to 5. Vanderbilt responded with two foul shots from Iyana Moore, but layups on back to back possessions by Aneesah Morrow was just enough to put the game out of the Commodores’ reach. Johnson had a team-high 11 points in the final period as the Tigers put the finishing touches on the home victory.
**LSU Athletics Release
