Some buckets from the 1st half between #LSU and Texas A&M2nd half is underway. @KATCTV3 #GeauxTigers pic.twitter.com/iMhF2huKiW
— Jamarcus Fitzpatrick (@JFitzTV) January 12, 2024
BATON ROUGE — Going against the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense, No. 7 LSU defeated Texas A&M, 87-70, Thursday night in the PMAC.
The Aggies entered the game with the nation’s top-scoring defense (48.9 ppg) and No. 2 field-goal percentage defense (31.4 percent), but LSU had all 5 starters score in double figures and shot 46.7 percent from the field to earn the win. Texas A&M hadn’t allowed a team to score 65 points since Nov. 16.
Angel Reese finished with 20 points and recorded her 8th double-double performance of the season. Reese reached the double-double mark before the end of the second quarter. The junior ended the night with 7 assists and 18 total rebounds as she continues to score in double figures every game this season.
Aneesah Morrow led LSU with 21 points, hauled in 8 rebounds, and added a pair of steals in another solid performance. Morrow has reached double figures in all but one game this season for the Tigers.
“I knew we can score offensively, I don’t want to give up so many points.”Kim Mulkey on her team’s performance in the win against Texas A&M pic.twitter.com/WsBq4oZYiI
— Elijah Nixon (@ElijahNixon18) January 12, 2024
Others to reach double figures include Hailey Van Lith (14), Mikaylah Williams (16), and Flau’Jae Johnson (10). Van Lith and Williams combined for 5 of the Tiger’s 6 three-pointers. Johnson scored in double figures for the seventh straight game.
Texas A&M’s Endyia Rogers led all scorers with 27 points on 11-22 from the field that included 3 three-pointers. Other Aggies to reach double figures were Aicha Coulibaly and Lauren Ware with 16 and 13, respectively.
LSU outrebounded the bigger opponent 44-35 despite being outscored 40-32 inside the paint. The Tigers finished with 20 turnovers compared to Texas A&M’s 19 and gave up 21 points off the mistakes. LSU went 25-32 from the foul line while the Aggies scored 8-12. The Tigers were 6-11 from deep and the Aggies only made 4 on twice as many attempts.
After a scoreless opening two minutes of action, the Aggies took an early 4-0 lead. LSU responded with an 8-2 run that saw 6 points from Reese and a couple from Morrow. The Tigers made 5 of its last 6 attempts from the field to hold a 13-11 lead at the first media timeout. A Van Lith three sparked a 9-0 run that gave LSU a 22-14 advantage to end the first quarter.
Williams and Van Lith combined for 12 points in the first four minutes of the sec0nd quarter to outscore the Aggies by one. Williams gave LSU its first ten point lead of the night (37-27) after making both free throws following a technical foul assessed to coach Joni Taylor. LSU was held scoreless for over 3 minutes as Texas A&M went 5-7 from the field in the same time. Aaliyah Del Rosario stopped the drought with a nice move down low and gave LSU a 10-point lead, 43-33.
The Tigers owned a 44-37 lead at halftime after scoring 22 in both quarters. The Aggies performed better from the field in the first half shooting 47-percent on 15-32 compared to LSU’s 41-percent on 15-37.
LSU outscored the Aggies 11-8 to start the third quarter and kept its double digit lead at the media timeout, 55-45. The Tigers pieced together a 9-0 run that saw LSU go 6-7 from the charity stripe. Williams hit her second three of the night with nine seconds remaining and gave LSU a 68-49 lead going into the final quarter.
The Tigers opened the fourth on a 8-0 run to push its total past the 75-point mark. Last-Tear Poa nailed a triple to get things started and hustled back on defense to take a charge moments later.
Johnson halted a 9-0 Aggie run with a fast break layup that moved LSU’s total to 80. The Tigers rode its lead through the final minutes and ended the night with a 17-point win over the Aggies.
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