(Photo Credit: @lsuwbkb on X)
UNCASVILLE, CONN. – No. 5 LSU (13-0) defeated Seton Hall (8-3) in the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase hosted in the Mohegan Sun, 91-64, as both Aneesah Morrow and Mikaylah Williams had standout games.
Undefeated through 13 games, LSU is tied for the fifth best start in program history.
Morrow scored 24 points on 8-13 shooting and added 19 rebounds in the contest. This was Morrow’s 4th straight game with at least 15 rebounds. With 1,412 career rebounds after Tuesday’s game, Morrow has cracked the top-25 for most rebounds in NCAA DI history.
“I want to set a standard, not only for myself, but my teammates,” Morrow said.
“She’s a walking double-double,” Coach Mulkey said about Morrow. “When you go to a game and you watch No. 24; I just want you to watch how hard she plays the game. I want you to watch how she can rebound with people who are much taller than her. I want you to watch how she never fatigues and gets tired. She can shoot the outside shot. She can face you up down low. She’s just a joy to coach because that’s how she is every day in practice.”
LSU heads to Chicago Wednesday and will play Illinois-Chicago on Thursday for Morrow’s homecoming game.
“Tonight was a full circle moment,” Morrow said. “This was my last game before I entered the portal here in the Mohegan Sun and then for this to be the game before I go home, it was like a full circle moment. I really enjoy playing Seton Hall. They’re a tough team in the Big East.”
“It’s not easy to always take them back home, but you try,” Coach Kim Mulkey said. “
Mikaylah Williams scored 22 points on 8-16 shooting with 6 made three pointers; tied for the eighth most in a single game in program history. Williams also tacked on 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal. She hit three straight triples in the first half that helped propel the Tigers to a 30-10 second quarter.
“At the beginning of the season, my shot was a little inconsistent,” Williams explained. “But the reps don’t lie. I just kept shooting and kept building and kept working. When you start to make them in the game, the rim looks real big.”
After LSU turned the ball over 20+ times in both of the past two games, the Tigers limited their turnovers to 13 Tuesday night against Seton Hall.
Seton Hall was led by Faith Masonius with 29 points on 10-22 shooting and 5 rebounds.
Wolfenbarger converted on a tough layup to score LSU’s first points of the contest. Both LSU and Seton Hall traded buckets early in the first quarter to tie the game at 7-7 after 3 minutes played. The Tigers were efficient in the first quarter and shot 6-12 entering the media timeout to lead the contest 14-13. Morrow connected on a three pointer after a blocking foul to extend the LSU lead to 4 with one minute remaining in the quarter. Sa’myah Smith got a tough floater to fall as time expired in the first quarter to give LSU a 22-15 lead. Morrow led the Tigers in both scoring and rebounding in the first quarter with 7 points and 5 boards. LSU and Seton Hall were neck and neck in the rebounding category in the first quarter, but the Tigers’ 8-14 shooting mark helped LSU gain the early lead.
Williams dropped three triples early in the second quarter to propel LSU to a 31-19 lead. The Tigers started the second quarter hot, shooting 4-7 from the field and 3-3 from three point range at the media timeout. Morrow’s dominance was on full display in the second quarter, and the star forward was able to earn her 11th double-double of the season long before the halftime buzzer sounded. Johnson dropped back-to-back mid range jumpers to extend LSU’s lead to 20 points with 3 minutes remaining in the half. LSU outscored Seton Hall 30-10 in the second quarter to enter the half with a 52-25 advantage. Williams’ 14 point quarter was capped off by a three pointer on the wing that gave the star sophomore her 4th triple of the period. The Tiger defense was stout in the second quarter, as the Pirates turned the ball over 4 times and shot 4-16 from the field.
Morrow found space in the mid range and dropped the jumpshot to start LSU’s second half. Morrow connected on her second three pointer of the game in the third quarter to give LSU a 59-33 lead. After a dry spell in offense, Kailyn Gilbert got the LSU offense back on track with a shifty jumper in the short corner. Williams continued her hot streak from beyond the arc with a corner three to increase the Tiger lead to 27. Seton Hall outscored the Tigers 24-19 in the third quarter, but LSU shot 8-16 from the field to efficiently hold the lead. At the end of the third quarter, LSU led the game 71-49. Morrow led the Tigers in points in the quarter, with 8 on 3-6 shooting.
Johnson drained a tough floater through contact to start the fourth quarter. The LSU offense continued to build on the big lead in the final quarter, as the Tigers outscored Seton Hall 11-8 entering the media timeout. The Tigers played sound basketball in the fourth quarter to keep the game in hand, and Johnson led the quarter in scoring with 7 points. LSU outscored Seton Hall 20-15 in the fourth quarter and out rebounded the Pirates 12-8 to keep the lead. With a large lead late in the contest, the Tigers were able to dribble the ball out and reach the final score of 91-64.
LSU Athletics Release
