LSU Women’s Basketball defeats Tennessee 75-60 in a game of adjustments

The last time Tennessee and Kim Mulkey‘s Tigers played, the result was a two-point loss in the Sotheastern Conference Tournament.

On this occasion, though, LSU traveled to Knoxville and prevailed 75–60.

The Tigers had to change for survival. Tennessee’s ability to restrict LSU in the paint and limit the Tigers at the foul line was crucial to their victory. The Volunteers were effective in doing that during the first half.

In order to maintain its advantage and win the game, LSU had to gradually increase its lead as Tennessee got closer to scoring multiple times in the second half.

In the end, LSU shot 6-for-15 (40%) from three-point range and 29-for-88 (33%) overall.

LSU led by Hailey Van Lith in the second half.

Van Lith scored a team-high 26 points in the end, which is her highest point total since moving to LSU.

The transfer guard from Louisville, Kentucky finished with three assists, seven rebounds, and a 9-for-18 field goal and 4-for-5 three-point shooting percentage.

However, as Tennessee began to pick up steam in the second half, Van Lith’s scoring output was especially crucial. In the second half, she scored two of her four 3-pointers and sixteen of her 26 points.

“Hailey has received a great deal of criticism, and it must end. She’s getting used to a new role,” Mulkey remarked. “She made big shots when we needed them.”

Van Lith appeared to have the ideal blend of playing her game and playing the point, which is different from how she usually plays at Louisville. Van Lith could pass the ball, but she also assumed accountability for efficient scoring when the team needed it.

Van Lith contributed to LSU’s fourth-quarter comeback after the team had trailed in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Tigers outscored Tennessee 27–15, shooting 50% from three and 45.5% from the field.

Additionally, Mikaylah Williams contributed during the fourth quarter. In the end, she shot 1-for-5 from three-point range and 7-for-18 from the field, finishing with 15 points, five rebounds, and five assists. She scored six of her fifteen points in the fourth quarter.

With nine points, seven rebounds, and three assists, Flau’jae Johnson had an impact despite shooting blankly from beyond the 3-point line. Her nine points, five of them came in the fourth quarter.

Before she wasn’t, Angel Reese was restrained

Angel Reese’s all-around defense in the paint and at the foul line had to be Tennessee’s top focus. That’s what the Volunteers did in the first half.

But in the second half, Reese saw an opening and seized it.

With 11 points and 16 rebounds in the game, she recorded a double-double, going 4 for 19 from the field and 3 for 6 from the foul line. Eight of her eleven points were scored in the second half.

Reese didn’t score until slightly over seven minutes remained in the second quarter, making a jumper from right outside the key. In the second quarter, Reese made one of her two free shots when she initially appeared at the foul line, with less than two minutes remaining.

Tamari Key, the center for Tennessee, deserves a lot of praise for her strong defensive play in the paint. Key finished with five rebounds and 10 points.

“Tamari Key has a good height. We anticipated that she would be defending Angel,” Mulkey remarked. “Her size altered shots.”

Reese’s rebounding presence remained potent even as Tennessee limited her scoring. 16 of LSU’s 57 team rebounds were gathered by Reese.

In light of Tennessee’s attempts to limit LSU’s scoring in the paint, Aneesah Morrow tried to contribute as much as he could. Her final stats were 13 rebounds and 8 points.

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Tennessee’s impressive third quarter

The third quarter saw the Volunteers’ scoring come to life as they whittled down LSU’s advantage to just two points. In the third quarter, Tennessee outscored the Tigers 19–10, with LSU shooting 4–18 overall.

Mulkey stated, “We lost our composure a little bit in the third.” However, Tennessee caused us to become agitated. You tend to play a bit harder when you’re down.”

But in the end, Tennessee shot only 16% from three-point range and 31% from the field. The group attempted and made three of its eighteen 3-point attempts.

Apart from not making any 3-pointers, Tennessee committed 10 turnovers as opposed to LSU’s 7. LSU defeated Tennessee 12-3 in points off of turnovers and 21-8 in fastbreak points.

These kinds of barriers prevented the Volunteers from sustaining their third quarter surge.

With a team-high 16 points and nine rebounds, Rickea Jackson—who is expected to be a top pick in the WNBA Draft—finished the game strong. Six of her 16 points were scored in the third period.

Tess Darby made 3-for-6 field goals and 2-for-5 three-pointers to score nine points.

Eight points, six rebounds, and seven assists were provided by Jasmine Powell, and seven points and eight rebounds were added by Sara Puckett.

Next up, who?

• On Thursday, the Tigers will continue their road trip and head to Athens to play the Georgia Bulldogs.
• The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and tip off at 8 p.m. C.T. from Stegman Coliseum.

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