Da Boot Sports 2/2/2023 By: Jordan Taylor BATON ROUGE, LA - The 3rd ranked Lady Tigers improved to 22-0, 10-0 on Thursday Night, beating Georgia 82-77 in overtime thriller. LSU gutted out the win in front of their home crowd after what looked like an off night for most. The Lady Tigers fed off the energy of the crowd late while their big two got it going when they were needed the most. Angel Reese continues her dominance 22 games into the season, finishing with her 22nd double-double in a row. Georgia came ready and shot extremely well from the field, but when Angel Reese got it going late in the 4th quarter and into overtime their was no answer for her presence in the paint. Reese lead the Tigers with 23 points and 14 rebounds. Alexis Morris had a huge second half with 15 points including two big clutch free throws to close out the victory. Sa'Myah Smith came through with 10 much needed points off the bench. In the first quarter we saw a constant rotation in the lineup as Mulkey's frustration started to boil as the turnovers piled up. It was a strong quarter for Georgia but LSU would keep things close by finding their way to the line and getting into the bonus late in the period. Georgia still managed a 15-10 lead as we headed to the second period. LSU needed some type of spark and that's exactly what Mulkey got when she inserted two of her bench players. Last-Tear Poa and Smith played several minutes, scoring huge baskets, sparking a 9-0 run to start the second quarter. As we approached the four minute mark, we were tied up 23-23. LSU struggled with Georgia's zone but kept finding their way to the free throw line to keep pace. As we approached halftime, Alexis Morris found herself scoreless after her huge Monday night performance. Georgia held the lead, 30-29 going into halftime. Smith was LSU's leading scorer with 8 points. In the third period LSU started to find success in the paint and that's where the Lady Tigers lived for the majority the rest of the way. Morris wouldn't join the scoring until the six minute mark in the third quarter, coming through with some big baskets late in the contest. LSU showed their toughness as they faced some adversity in the third period, getting out hustled while shooting poorly. Georgia continued to bring the fight, going on a 6-0 run to close out the third with all the momentum, leading 55-50. The Bulldogs found themselves building their biggest lead of the night in the final period, holding a 9 point lead, putting LSU in a huge hole. But the Lady Tigers didn't blink as they went to work finding Angel in the paint, followed by a huge three pointer by Morris, cutting the lead to four. The rest of the way the PMAC crowd of 8,716 came alive, helping to fuel LSU down the stretch. Reese and Morris began to take over late, fighting and scratching as they pulled the ballgame even, 66-66 with less that a minute remaining. LSU had a huge defensive stop with under ten seconds allowing everyone to breathe. Morris then had an opportunity to win the game in regulation, but her shot fell short sending the contest into overtime. Both teams entered the overtime period in foul trouble and in the bonus. LSU went ahead by three with 3:43 remaining following a Morris steal and score. But Georgia stormed right back to tie the game at 74-74 after back to back LSU turnovers. The biggest shot of the night came from LSU's senior leader Alexis Morris, delivering when needed the most, giving LSU a three point lead with 49 seconds remaining. It was all guts this night as Flau'jae Johnson and Morris each sank free throws to put the game on ice and close out the 82-77 victory for LSU... With the win, the 3rd ranked Lady Tigers now shift their attention to their third game of the week as they will hit the road to take on Texas A&M on Sunday, Feb 5th. Photos Below By: Phillip Cancilleri
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Da Boot Sports 1/31/2023 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA - The Lady Tigers improved to 21-0, 9-0 on Monday night, beating Tennessee 76-68 in front of the largest crowd to ever see a women's basketball game in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center/Dale Brown Court. The Volunteers came focused and ready to play, keeping close to the Ben-Gals all game long. “Well first of all, compliment the fans, goodness gracious,” Coach Kim Mulkey said. “I don’t think I saw an empty seat, now I didn’t look long, but when I walked out, I was like ‘oh these people are standing,’ It was everything that young people need to experience in college. Thank you to all of the people who made that happen. “I thought it was a game that was good for the SEC and women’s basketball. There are a lot of people who still have their question marks about us, and we’re good with that. We had those question marks, we still have them today. That just feeds our hunger. We just played a team that has played every good team out there this year.” Alexis Morris lead the Tigers with 31 points while Angel Reese registered her 21st straight double-double scoring 18 and grabbing 17 rebounds. The first quarter had LSU take the early lead, but the Vols battled back to tie the contest at 8-8 at the 5:48 mark. Tied at 12-12 with 2:38 left in the period, the Tigers held Tennessee scoreless the rest of the way while scoring the final three points to lead 15-12. Tennessee refused to cave to the home team fighting back to grab a one point lead, 18-17 with 7:06 left in the first half. The Lady Tigers went on to outscore the Vols 17-11 over the final seven minutes of the half, taking a 34-29 lead at the half. Early in the 3rd period LSU slowly began to pull away from Tennessee, going on a 14-3 run as they increased their lead to 48-34 at the 5:45 mark. There was no quit in the Lady Volunteers as they responded by finishing the third quarter going on a 13-2 run to cut LSU's lead to 50-47. The Vols continue to give the Lady Tigers all they could handle over the first two minutes of the final period, cutting the lead to one, 53-52. Over the final 7:43 of the contest, LSU took over, finishing their tough opponent off like championship caliber teams do. First going on a 13-2 run over a four minute span to increase their lead to 66-54 with 3:57 left on the clock. Tennessee trimmed the lead to six with 18 seconds remaining before Alexis Morris would sink LSU's final four points from the charity stripe to seal the 76-68 victory. It was an incredible night in the assembly center as the 15,157 fans showed up in force all wearing white for the 'White Out Game'. The PMAC was loud and electric as everyone was treated to an outstanding SEC contest. “I’ve never been a part of this type of environment,” Reese said. “When I walked out, I felt like I’m at home. It was like a winter wonderland in there with all the white.” With the win, the 3rd ranked Lady Tigers are now 21-0 overall and 9-0 in SEC play. Next up LSU will host the Georgia Bulldogs in the PMAC on Thursday Feb. 2 at 7:00pm CST. Photos Below by: Michael Bacigalupi Photos Below by: Jonathan Mailhes *John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior) Da Boot Sports 1/24/2023 LSU Sports Communications By: LSU Staff TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Angel Reese went for 14 points and 14 rebounds to record her 20th straight double-double to set the LSU record (breaking Sylvia Fowles’ of 19 straight) as the No. 4 Tigers (20-0, 8-0 SEC) cruised to a 89-51 win over Alabama (15-5, 4-3 SEC) Monday night in Coleman Coliseum. It was LSU’s largest win in Tuscaloosa ever.“When you’re 20-0, you break a record of one of the greatest all-time players ever, not just at LSU, in Sylvia Fowles, but in the country and in the history of women’s basketball, she’s in wonderful company,” Coach Kim Mulkey said of Reese. Reese’s double-double streak is the second longest in SEC history, trailing only South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston who recorded 27 in a row last season. The Tigers are just the second LSU team to start 20-0, joining the 2015 LSU Softball team that started 25-0. Coach Mulkey now has at least 20 wins in all 23 years of her head coaching career. “I thought we moved,” Coach Mulkey said. “I thought we communicated. You had four kids that scored in double figures. You had three kids that rebounded in double figures. We shot the ball really well. Jasmine Carson really, really lit it up from the three and it snowballed from there.” LaDazhia Williams also had a double-double, her second in a row, with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Jasmine Carson shot 4-8 from three-point land and led LSU with 20 points. Alexis Morris finished with 17 and had a game-high 7 assists. Flau’jae Johnson had only six points, but she grabbed 10 rebounds. Not only did Reese record her 20th straight double-double, but she guarded Alabama’s leading scorer and held Brittany Davis to 9 points. That got the Alabama offense out of sync as the Tigers held the Crimson Tide to its lowest point total of the season (51), its lowest field goal percentage (29.2-percent) and lowest three-point shooting percentage (18.5-percent). The Tigers will not play again for another week as they are slated to face off against Tennessee next Monday on ESPN2 in the PMAC. LSU is asking fans to white-out the PMAC and is looking for the second sellout of Coach Mulkey’s LSU career. With LSU making its first four free throws and a lay-in by Williams, the Tigers took a 6-3 lead early in the game. Alabama made it a one-point game, but Carson rattled in her first three of the game to give the Tigers an 11-7 lead at the media timeout. Johnson gave LSU a 17-11 lead after a crossover, pull-up jumper from the top of the key. Alabama’s JeAnna Cunnigham was assessed an intentional foul, sending Last-Tear Poa to the line with 10.5 seconds left in the first, making both and giving possession to the Tigers. Holding Alabama to 25-percent shooting and 11.1-percent from beyond the arc, LSU led after one, 19-11. To open the second quarter, LSU got two defensive stops and Morris scored five in a row, nailing a three and a layup in transition to give the Tigers a 13-point lead and force an Alabama timeout. Morris found Williams on a pick-and-roll and then Reese converted an and-one as LSU extended its lead to 29-11. Morris gave LSU a 20-point lead as the Tigers continued its run of holding Alabama scoreless in the second quarter. The Crimson Tide scored their first bucket of the quarter at the 5:49 mark. Carson hit her second three at the 4:15 mark to give the Tigers a 36-15 lead and force the Crimson Tide to call another timeout. Carson hit her fourth three of the game as time expired for the half to give LSU a 47-18 lead going into the break. LSU held Alabama, the best three-point shooting team in the SEC, to 11.8-percent from long range in the opening half. LSU on the other hand went 5-10 from deep in the opening half. The Tigers picked up in the second half where they left off, extending their lead to 58-27 at the media timeout with athletic plays all over the court. Already with 13 points, Reese grabbed her 10th rebound to notch her 20th straight double-double to set the LSU record with 2:55 left in the third quarter. Poa hit a running layup as time expired in the quarter for LSU to go up, 69-38. Poa picked up where she left off as she hit another driving layup to score the opening points of the fourth quarter. Alabama went on to score six straight points before the freshman, Sa’Myah Smith, scored her first bucket of the night. At the middle of the quarter LSU started an 11-0 run that lasted over 3:00 minutes. The run included WIlliams tenth rebound, securing a double-double, as well as Morris’ third trey of the game. The Tigers cruised to their 20th win of the season by a 89-51 decision over the Tide. Da Boot Sports 1/20/2023 By: David Penn BATON ROUGE, LA - In No. 3 LSU’s first SEC rematch of the season, the Arkansas Razorbacks played an impeccable second half that erased a 14 point LSU lead and set up a dramatic sequence for the Tigers, now 19-0, 7-0 to preserve perfection with a 79-76 victory. Arkansas (17-4, 4-2) would tie the game with 6:45 to play in the fourth period and take their first lead of the game with 6:23 to play. Angel Reese was not only leading the Tigers in scoring and rebounds, she was leading with words and actions, encouraging her teammates down the stretch to make big plays in the waning moments of the game, and her teammates obliged. Alexis Morris bolted down court and knifed through the defense to score a layup with 2:09 to play that would give LSU a 75-74 edge after Reese told Morris, “Big players make big plays.” Freshman Flau’Jae Johnson would ice the game with four clutch free throws down the stretch. LSU led by as many as 14 points in the first half and took an 8 point advantage into halftime. In the second half Arkansas would roar back and test LSU on every possession. LSU bent but never broke. Arkansas chipped away at the LSU lead until finally leading for the first time in the contest just before the midway point of the fourth period. The two teams would then trade shots down the stretch until a costly shot clock violation gave possession back to LSU and swung the momentum back into LSU’s favor. Reese recorded her 19th double double and tied the record for consecutive double doubles, a record held by Tiger legend Sylvia Fowles. Reese poured in 19 points and grabbed 19 rebounds, Reese is averaging 24 points and 15 rebounds a game for LSU, no other SEC player has had one 20 point 15 rebound game. Johnson finished the game with 19 points and 6 rebounds, but no points were bigger for Johnson than the only four free throws she took. With just seconds left on the clock and LSU clinging to one point leads, she drained all four attempts from the charity stripe. LaDahzia Williams and Jasmine Carson both scored in double figures for the Tigers with Williams dropping in 11 while grabbing 12 boards and Carson scoring 10 and leading the team in assists with four. Erynn Barnum led the Razorbacks with 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Samara Spencer scored 13, Chrissy Carr scored 12, Makayla Daniels and Maryam Dauda each scored 11. The Razorbacks went 10-29 from beyond the arc, while LSU was just 4-10. The loss snaps Arkansas’ four game winning streak. Next up for LSU will be a road contest in Tuscaloosa on Monday January 23rd vs the Alabama Crimson Tide (15-4, 4-2). The Tide have won their last three games. Da Boot Sports 1/16/2023 By: David Penn BATON ROUGE, LA - The LSU Tigers hosted the Auburn Tigers on Sunday August 15th in front of a capacity crowd at the PMAC in Baton Rouge and did not disappoint as they continued their winning streak with a 84-54 victory. On a day that the Tigers unveiled a statue of LSU legend Simone Augustus, Kim Mulkey’s team continued their historic start to the season by dominating Auburn from tip off to the final buzzer. The #3 Tigers (18-0, 6-0) scored the first five points of the contest before finishing the first quarter leading by nine points with a 23-14 edge. Angel Reese would dominate the second quarter, scoring 10 of the 18 points LSU tallied in the period. LSU would head to the locker room at the half holding a 41-22 advantage after only allowing Auburn 8 points in the second period. Reese earned her 18th double double in as many games and led all scorers with 23 points while also leading all in rebounds, grabbing 15 boards. Jasmine Carson finished the game with 18 points. Alexis Morris finished with a double double, scoring 12 points and dishing 10 assists. Flau’Jae Johnson finished the game with 10 points. Auburn was led in scoring and rebounding by Precious Johnson who dropped in 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Kharyssa Richardson was the only other Auburn player to reach double figures, scoring 10 points for the visiting Tigers. Up next LSU will host the Arkansas Razorbacks (17-3, 4-1) on Thursday January 19, tip time will be 8:00pm. Arkansas will enter the PMAC on a four game winning streak with their only conference loss coming at the hands of LSU on December 29, a final score of 69-45. Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi Photos Below By: Jonathan Mailhes Da Boot Sports 1/16/2023 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA - On Sunday afternoon the first statue of a female athlete was unveiled on the campus of LSU on the backside of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Seimone Augustus was honored by LSU with a beautiful statue in a ceremony before the Lady Tigers' game against Auburn in front of a tremendous crowd. Augustus, a two time All-American played at LSU from 2002-2006, leading the Lady Tigers to three straight Final Four appearances. She averaged 19.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and two assist per game during her college career. On January 9th, 2010, LSU retired her #33 jersey number as she became the first female athlete in school history to receive that honor. In 2006 the Minnesota Lynx drafted Augustus with the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft, and she would go on to win Rookie of the Year. She would also win four WNBA Championships with Minnesota in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017. She is currently an assistant coach in the WNBA for the Los Angeles Sparks. Congratulations Seimone for an incredible college and WNBA career. You are truly a Tiger Legend. Photos Below By: Jonathan Mailhes Da Boot Sports 1/14/2023 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, AL - On Friday, January 13th at noon on the levee near the LSU campus, LSU Women's Basketball Head Coach Kim Mulkey was on hand to assist members of the LSU Veterinarian School in the releasing of a bald eagle back into the wild. The LSU Vet School is one of 33 Veterinary schools in the United States. They list that their mission is to improve and protect the lives of animals through superior education, transformational research and compassionate care. “The Wildlife Hospital of Louisiana is the only hospital of its type and we service basically the entire state." Mark Mitchell the director of the Wildlife Hospital of Louisiana said. "We work with state and federal agents who have injured animals that they potentially bring to us, but the majority of the animals that they bring to us are from good Samaritans, Louisiana citizens,” The school medically treats and cares for several different species and say they see approximately 20,000 case each year. They offer primary care along with specialty services. They have treatments for a variety of illnesses and injuries and they are open 24/7, 365 days a year. Our staff photographer Michael Bacigalupi was on hand to capture the event. His amazing photos are below for your enjoyment. Photos Below by: Michael Bacigalupi *John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior) Da Boot Sports 1/13/2023 By: David Penn COLUMBIA, MO - Two things remained perfect after LSU traveled to Missouri, LSU’s record improved to 17-0 and Angel Reese’s streak of doubles doubles as LSU took down the Tigers of Missouri, 77-57. Reese has recorded a double double in every contest so far this season. The win continues LSU’s historic start to the season, setting the program mark for most consecutive wins to begin a season. The only question that remains is if or when it will stop. The #5 Tigers seem to be on a collision course with the #1 South Carolina Gamecocks, a game that will happen in South Carolina on February 12. Reese got off to a slower start than usual, ending the first half with four points and four rebounds, but she would turn it on in the second half and finish with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Alexis Morris led all scorers with 24 points, shooting 7-9 from the field, which included going five for five from beyond the arc. LaDazhia Williams started the game for the Tigers in a building she’s all too familiar with, having played for Mizzou the previous two seasons. She got into foul trouble, but scored the first four points of the contest for LSU. Mizzou was led by starting guard Lauren Hansen who scored 22 for the home team Tigers. The loss is the second straight for Mizzou who’s record now stands at 14-4/3-2. Up next for LSU (17-0/5-0) will be a home tilt vs the Auburn Tigers at the PMAC on Sunday January 15th. Auburn will come to Baton Rouge with a 10-6 record and currently on a four game losing streak. The day will be a special one on Sunday as LSU will honor Seimone Augustus before the game by unveiling a statue of her. Augustus is without a doubt one of the greatest athletes ever to wear the purple and gold. Da Boot Sports 1/8/2023 LSU Sports Communications By: LSU Staff LEXINGTON, Ky. — No. 7 LSU improved to 16-0 (4-0 SEC) on Sunday, the best start in program history, as the Tigers took down Kentucky (8-8, 0-4 SEC) in Rupp Arena.LSU has started SEC play with wins by 24, 25, 40 and 19 points in its first four conference games. “Look, it just feels good to win,” Coach Kim Mulkey said. “Whether you’re 16-0. Whether you’re breaking records. Just winning the next game always feels good.” Standout freshman Flau’jae Johnson continued to impress as she was one point shy of her career high. Johnson tallied 26 points and 8 rebounds in a dominant win over Kentucky. The three-time and reigning SEC Freshman of the Week has a good chance of making it a fourth as she picked up right where she left off after scoring 18 points against Texas A&M on Thursday. Angel Reese earned her 16th double-double in as many games and the longest streak of consecutive double-doubles to open a season in SEC history continued. After a historic performance against Texas A&M where Reese dropped 26 points and hauled in a LSU record 28 rebounds, Reese finished Sunday afternoon’s contest with 26 points and 13 boards. Reese has been on a tear as she’s scored 20+ points in 12 of the past 13 games. The dynamic duo of Johnson and Reese combined for 52 of the Tigers 67 points as they led LSU to its best start in program history. Guard Alexis Morris played her fewest minutes of the season with flu-like symptoms. LSU got to the free-throw line a lot and the Tigers were efficient when they went there, shooting 25-31 from the charity stripe. Reese was 16-17 from the free-throw line. LSU also outrebounded the Wildcats, 45-23. “I thought we really focused after the [Texas] A&M game on starting games and finishing games and I thought our start was very good today,” Coach Mulkey said. “I thought we attacked. I thought we scored the ball. I thought we executed.” Kentucky duo, Maddie Scherr and Robyn Benton, led the way for the Wildcats. Scherr led the team with a career high 22 points and 4 made threes, the most of her career. Benton was the only other Wildcat in double figures who followed with 11. No Kentucky player had more than five rebounds, Nyah Leveretter had 5 and four players had 4. The Tigers will remain on the road as they travel for a road game Thursday night to take Missouri at 6 p.m. CT in Mizzou Arena. LSU will be returning home to host Auburn next Sunday and Seimone Augustus’ statue will be unveiled prior to the game. The Tigers went on a 5-0 run to start the game and earned a 13-5 lead at the first timeout four minutes into the opening quarter. The Wildcats cut the LSU lead to 3 after a trey from Scherr and a driving layup by Cambridge made it 15-12. After starting 5-6 from the field, LSU went 0-6 after the timeout and got stuck in a scoring drought that lasted about four minutes until Reese made two free throws with six seconds left in the quarter to take a 17-12 lead after one. LSU went 88-percent (7-8) from the foul line in the first quarter. Reese and Johnson led the team with six points each ahead of the second quarter. Both teams started slow in the second and it wasn’t until four minutes in when Reese gave the Tigers its first two points of the quarter. LSU traded buckets with the Wildcats and looked to gain momentum just before the media timeout when Johnson went coast to coast weaving through defenders to push LSU past 20. The Tigers led 21-17 at the media timeout. Johnson picked up right where she left off to make it a 6-0 solo run and gave LSU a 8-point lead. A 12-0 run by LSU forced a Kentucky timeout after the Wildcats went 1 of its last 9 field goals and was caught in a 4:38 scoring drought. The Tigers held UK to just 5 points in the second quarter and went onto the break up 31-17. The third quarter got off to a competitive start as UK outscored LSU 9-8 four minutes into the quarter. The Tigers scored half its third quarter points from the charity stripe and its other half was split by Johnson and Reese. LSU led Kentucky 39-26 at the first media timeout of the quarter. After the timeout LSU went on an 8-0 run and took advantage of 3 UK turnovers within that run. With half a minute to go in the third Reese picked up her tenth rebound and earned her 16th double-double in as many games this season. LSU ended the quarter as it converted a full court play in the final four seconds as Johnson inbounded the ball across court to Reese who finished inside just before the buzzer. The final quarter was another tight race as LSU hung on to the lead it had built up. UK outscored LSU early in the quarter and did its best to shorten the Tiger lead. The Wildcats were led by Scherr who had 12 fourth quarter points and headlined a late 7-0 UK run. The Tigers continued to take advantage of their time from the free throw line as they went 7-9 from the stripe in the fourth. Despite ending the quarter 5 of its last 6, the highest scoring Kentucky quarter (21) wasn’t enough to catch the Tigers. Da Boot Sports 1/5/2023 By: David Penn BATON ROUGE, LA - LSU starting forward Angel Reese had her second game of the season with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds while breaking the LSU Women’s basketball record for rebounds in a game with 28, as LSU cruised past the Texas A&M Aggies, 74-34 in the Pete Maravich Assembely Center on Thursday night. Reese finished the game as the leading scorer and rebounder with 26 points and 28 boards. The #7 Fighting Tigers also became the second team in LSU Women’s basketball history to open a season 15-0. The last time this happened was the 02-03 season. The first quarter started slow with LSU taking an 8-6 lead into the second period, but the Lady Tigers imposed their will on the Aggies with a 14-1 run to open the second quarter. Once the Tigers got going even the impossible seemed possible. Reese secured a steal just before the buzzer of the second quarter, took one dribble, and then heaved the ball towards the rim in dramatic fashion to have it drop through the hoop touching nothing but nylon as the improbable shot would give LSU a 34-12 lead at the half. LSU only allowed A&M to score six points in each of the first two quarters. Reese said after the game, “There’s a lot of great players who came before me. On (January 15) Seimone Augustus’ statue is going up (at LSU). I want to be like that, I want to set records, I want a statue one day. Being able to look up to someone like Seimone or Sylvia Fowles. I want to be in the same columns as players like them. I’m very blessed to be in the situation that I’m in.” In the second half LSU continued to dominate the boards and in the paint. By the end of the third period the score favored LSU by 39 points with the Tigers taking a 60-21 lead into the fourth quarter. The Aggies only had one player that scored in double figures which was starting guard Sydney Bowles with 11 points. Other Tigers joining Reese in double figure scoring were freshman Flau’jae Johnson with 18 points and Last-Tear Poa with 10 points. LSU scored 19 points off of 17 turnovers, but limited the Aggies only 9 points off of 15 turnovers. The rebounding margin of LSU 58 to the 37 grabbed by the Aggies provided another stark contrast in the game of how LSU was able to impose its will throughout the contest. With the victory, the Lady Tigers are now 15-0/3-0 on the season. Next up LSU travels to Lexington to take on the Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday, Jan. 8. Tipoff is set for 1:00pm CST and the contest will be live on SEC Network+. Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi Da Boot Sports 1/1/2023 LSU Sports Communications By: LSU Staff BATON ROUGE. – No. 9 LSU (14-0, 2-0 SEC) remained undefeated and opened 2023 with a New Year’s Day win at home over Vanderbilt (9-7, 0-2 SEC), 88-63, as four starters scored in double figures. “I thought we shot the ball better today than we did at Arkansas,” Coach Kim Mulkey said. “That’s the first zone that we saw for forty minutes, so we were quite aware of what we were going to see. We hit some threes, but we didn’t just jack the ball up all over the floor.” LSU improved to 14-0 for the third time in program history and the first time since 2005-06. LSU started 15-0 in 2002-03, the best start in program history and one the Tigers can match when they take on Texas A&M Thursday at 8 p.m. CT on the SEC Network. Angel Reese continued her double-double roll, collecting 21 points and 17 rebounds to record her 14th double-double in 14 games this season. Alexis Morris had her first career double-double with 15 points and a career-high 12 assists and only one turnover. Flau’jae Johnson contributed 20 points and 8 rebounds while LaDazhia Williams scored 12. Ciaja Harbison led Vanderbilt with 27 points and 7 assists. LSU held the Commodores to .355 shooting and outrebounded Vanderbilt, 53-22. Reese scored the first points of the New Year and the game, but Vanderbilt scored the next five to open the game. Reese found Williams on the right block to end the run, but Vandy quickly responded with a three. LSU went back in front when Reese scored followed by a Carson trey to go up 9-8, forcing a Commodore timeout. After the teams traded buckets, LSU tied the game at 15 after a three-point play by Reese, giving her 8 early points. She reached double figures after sinking two free throws to put LSU back in front. Morris then got some momentum rolling for the Tigers, stealing the ball and taking it coast-to-coast before taking a charge on the defensive end to force another turnover with two minutes left in the quarter. Vanderbilt responded with a three. Flau’jae Johnson got on the board after LSU grabbed two offensive rebounds and she scored again in transition following a defensive stop. Vanderbilt scored as time ran out in the quarter with LSU ahead, 23-20. Through the first three minutes of the second quarter, LSU scored the first three points to take a 26-20 lead as Vanderbilt called timeout. Johnson hit a corner three coming out of the timeout, assisted by Morris. LSU went up by double figures after Sa’Myah Smith stole the ball, drew a foul on the fast break and sank both free throws. Vanderbilt’s Harbison scored her 15th point on a three after the team traded some baskets to bring the game back within single digits. After Vandertbilt brought it back within six, LSU closed the half scoring the final five points to go into the break with a 45-34 lead. Vanderbilt’s three-point shooting kept the Commodores in the game throughout the first half, going 5-12 from deep on the first half alone after entering Sunday with an average of 5.8 threes made per game. Reese scored to open the half on a pick-and-roll pass from Morris, her seventh assist of the afternoon to tie a season high. Reese collected her ninth rebound of the game on the offensive boards and went back with it as LSU scored the first four points of the half and Vanderbilt took a quick timeout less than two minutes into the third quarter. The Commodores scored four in a row, going with a lineup consisting of four guards, as Vanderbilt refused to allow LSU to grow its lead as it hovered around 10 points. LSU led 51-40 going into the media timeout. Over the final five minutes of the third quarter, LSU began to exert itself with a 11-3 run, going into the fourth with a 63-45 lead. Morris found Reese early in the fourth quarter for a layup as Morris collected her 9th assist, a career-high. Morris pulled up from three on the ensuing position to give LSU a 70-47 advantage. Morris recorded her 10th assist to give her the first double-double of her career when she found Johnson on the left wing for a three to go up 75-53. LSU continued to pull away in the game’s final minutes to win by 25 and remain undefeated. Photos Below by: Michael Bacigalupi *John 14:6 - "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Give your life to Jesus) Da Boot Sports 12/29/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: LSU Staff FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – In LSU’s first ranked matchup of the season, the No. 9 Tigers (13-0, 1-0) opened SEC play with a dominating 69-45 win over No. 24 Arkansas (13-3, 0-1) Thursday night in Bud Walton Arena. “I thought we kept the crowd out of the game,” Coach Kim Mulkey said. “I thought we controlled the game. It wasn’t pretty, but I thought we controlled the game from the tip.” LSU maintained a 10-point lead through much of the game before pulling away in the final quarter to earn the 24-point victory. After Thursday’s action, LSU is one of five remaining undefeated teams in the country. Angel Reese continued to play as one of the best players in the nation, recording her 13th double-double in as many games this season. She had 19 points and 16 rebounds. Freshman Flau’jae Johnson recorded her third double-double and first in SEC play with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Alexis Morris finished with 19 points and LaDazhia Williams collected 15 boards as the Tigers passed their first ranked test with flying colors. “I thought LaDazhia Williams set the tone for us defensively,” Coach Mulkey said. “She had 15 big rebounds. She scored only four but it’s what she did on helping, on covers, on drives. It’s what you hope a senior will do that’s been in this league and that’s played a lot of basketball.” LSU grabbed a season-high 62 rebounds and limited Arkansas to 30 boards. The Tigers also held Arkansas to season-lows in points and field-goal percentage (.279). Samara Spencer led the Razorbacks with 17 points and Makayla Daniels had 10. Jersey Wolfenbarger led Arkansas with 6 rebounds. LSU will have its SEC home opener on Sunday, New Year’s Day, at 2 p.m. against Vanderbilt. The game will serve as LSU’s post game autograph game. After LSU missed its first four shots, Johnson got the Tigers on the board to take an early lead, but after the teams traded buckets and Reese got on the board, Arkansas took a 5-4 lead off a three-pointer. Reese scored again to give the Tigers back the lead, but Arkansas responded with another bucket to go up 7-6 at the first media timeout. Reese scored again out of the timeout to give the Tigers the lead back and then Johnson made two free-throws and L. Williams made one to give LSU a 7-0 run as the Tigers forced nine consecutive Razorback misses. Johnson went to the line once again and made one of two. Arkansas made its first buck in 10 attempts on a fastbreak layup by Daniels to bring the score within five, 14-9 LSU at the end of the quarter. Morris made the first shot of the second quarter, a three from the left wing, and Jasmine Carson got on the board with a pair of free throws to give LSU a 18-9 lead. LSU took an 11-point lead when Morris fired a halfcourt pass to Johnson who finished the play with a layup, forcing an Arkansas timeout. LSU extended the lead to 21-7 before Arkansas ended LSU’s early quarter run. Morris ended Arkansas’ 7-0 run with her second three of the quarter as LSU went up 26-14. With 4:33 left in the second quarter, Arkansas (who is No. 2 in the nation in free-throw attempts) got to the line for the first time, but Spencer missed the pair. Nonetheless, Arkansas scored the next four to bring it back to single digits. Morris hit her third three though to reclaim the double-digit lead. Carson hit a three on LSU’s next possession as LSU took a 32-18 lead with 3:00 left in the half. With Reese on the bench over the final three minutes with two fouls, LSU maintained a double-digit lead as LSU scored the final four points of the quarter. Amani Bartlett, who came in late in the half to relieve L. Williams after she picked up her second foul, scored her first bucket of the game that came as the clock expired for LSU to take a 38-25 lead into the break. Arkansas got on the board first in the second half as Spencer made her second three of the game. Reese secured her 13th double-double of the season as she grabbed two quick boards in the third quarter to give her 11 and made two free throws to give her 10 points. Spencer hit another three to make it 40-31, but Reese went isolation to give LSU its double-digit lead back. Arkansas’ three-point shooting kept them in the game as Daniels made the third for the Razorbacks to end a LSU spurt. LSU’s lead continued to hover around 10 though as the Tigers limited any major Razorback runs, taking a 46-36 lead into the media timeout. LSU took its largest lead, a 16-point lead, with 2:30 left in the third when Morris recorded a steal at the top of the key and dished the ball to Kateri Poole running to floor. The Tigers went into the fourth quarter with a 55-38 lead. LSU scored the first three points of the quarter to go up 20 after Morris made one free throw and then L. Williams got a block and three it down the court to Reese who finished the fastbreak. On another fastbreak, Johnson bounced a pass to Morris cutting down the left line as LSU went up 61-38 and began to pull away from Arkansas. LSU slowed the pace down throughout the fourth quarter, cruising to an SEC opener win. Da Boot Sports 12/19/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: LSU Staff MAUI, Hawaii — Angel Reese had her 12th double-double in a row and went over 1,000 career points as No. 11 LSU (12-0) rolled over Oregon State (7-4), 87-55, at the Maui Classic to close out non-conference play. LSU is undefeated through its non-conference schedule for the first time since the 2002-03 season. The Maryland transfer Reese finished the night with 25 points and a career-high 20 total rebounds. Reese has scored 295 of her 1,014 career points with LSU in just 13 games as a Tiger. The other 719 came from her first two seasons at Maryland. Alexis Morris, Jasmine Carson, and LaDahzia Williams all scored in double figures in Sunday night’s 32-point victory. Morris had 18 points, 6 assists, and went a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line. Carson came off the bench to add 2 treys and 12 points total. Williams scored 10 and was second in rebounds with 7. “We just have a confident bunch right now,” Coach Kim Mulkey said. “I wish we didn’t have to go home for the break. I wish we could go on and start some SEC play because that’s what builds a team.” The team will travel home Sunday night as it will be off for the Holidays ahead of the conference schedule. The 12-0 Tigers will begin SEC play on Thursday, December 29th as they hit the road to face Arkansas at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2. After Talia Von Oelhoffen scored 41 on Saturday in Maui against Nevada, LSU held her to 14 points Sunday night. Von Oelhoffen was the Beavers leading scorer and she was followed by Raegan Beers with 11. The Tigers shot 46-percent from the field and an went 11-12 from the foul line. The Beavers went 32-percent from field goal range and connected on 5-21 three-pointers. LSU won the rebound battle 51-30 and scored 46 of its points inside the paint. The Tigers added 23 points off turnovers and racked up 18 off fastbreaks alone. After four minutes into the game Reese scored LSU’s first 6 points and Oregon State’s Von Oelhoffen accounted for the Beavers first 6 points. The Tigers followed with a 7-2 run and forced a media timeout with 3:47 to play in the first. Two made free throws from L. Williams gave LSU a 17-15 lead to carry into the second quarter. LSU opened the second quarter on a 13-0 run as the Tigers held OSU scoreless through the opening four and a half minutes of the quarter. Reese needed just 11 points heading into Sunday night’s game to reach 1, 000 career points and she got there within the first four minutes of the second quarter as LSU began to take control. Oregon State went 2-9 from the field and 1-5 from deep in the second quarter. The Beavers broke a four minute scoring drought as they hit a three to score their fifth point of the quarter. Just over a minute to go before halftime Reese hauled in her tenth rebound to secure double-double number twelve of the season. LSU outscored the Beavers 30-6 in the second quarter to give itself a 27-21 lead at halftime. Oregon State was in early foul trouble as three Beavers tallied 3 fouls halfway through the second. Reese had 17 points and 10 rebounds at the half after facing a new challenge in OSU’s 6’9” center, Jelena Mitrovic. The big second quarter gave LSU just the boost it needed to continue its momentum into the third quarter. Oregon State opened the third quarter 3-3 from the field to score 6 points in two minutes after scoring 6 total in the previous quarter. LSU held the Beavers scoreless as they went 0-6 from the field over three minutes through the middle of the third. With four and a half to play in the quarter LSU called a timeout to regroup as three Tigers were called for personal fouls all within a minute. Following the timeout LSU went on a 8-0 run after a pair of costly OSU turnovers resulted in coast to coast buckets from LaDahzia Williams and Reese. Carson gave LSU a comfortable 31-point lead to head into the final quarter as she hit a step-back corner three at the buzzer. LSU kept its foot on the gas as it opened the fourth quarter on a 12-0 run and held OSU to 0-9 from the field through the first five minutes of the quarter. Reese broke her career high 19 rebounds with over a minute to play in regulation as she tallied her 20th board of the night. LSU outscored OSU 16-15 in the fourth quarter and ended the night with a 32-point win. Da Boot Sports 12/18/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: LSU Staff MAUI, Hawaii — Alexis Morris went over 1,000 career points and Angel Reese scored at least 30 for the second game in a row as LSU took down Montana State, 91-52, Saturday night in the South Maui Gymnasium at the Maui Classic. “I thought our defense was as active as it’s been all year,” Coach Kim Mulkey said. “I thought our defense being active was really good; talking and communicating. And then getting post touches. Just make them have to guard Angel Reese and our bigs inside.” Reese led the team in points and rebounds as she tallied 30 points and brought down 12 boards total. Reese was 10-16 from the field and went 10-12 from the free throw line. Alexis Morris, who played her freshman at Baylor with Coach Mulkey and then had stops at Rutgers and Texas A&M before teaming back up with Coach Mulkey at LSU, entered Saturday’s game needing just 12 points to reach 1,000. Morris finished the night with 14 points through 27 minutes of action. Flau’jae Johnson was the third Tiger to score in double figures adding 12 points and 5 rebounds. Up Next LSU will take on Oregon State in its second and final game of the Maui Classic Sunday at 10 p.m. CT (6 p.m. local Hawaii time). The game will be free to watch here. You can also follow the game on the LSU Sports Radio Network, 107.3 in Baton Rouge. Coach Mulkey enters the game looking for her first win over Oregon State in what will be her third matchup vs. the Beavers. Montana State was led by Grace Beasley who scored 15 points and was the only Bobcat to score in double digits. Beasley went 3-4 from behind the arc, picked up 3 steals, and had 3 assists. The Tigers opened the night with an 8-0 run as Montana State went 0-5 from the field to start the game. Halfway through the first quarter Reese totaled 11 of LSU’s 15 points and tallied 6 rebounds early on. The Tigers ended the first quarter up 24-18, despite having a ten point lead just over two minutes into the game. LSU continued to battle in the post as Montana State was called for five fouls through five minutes of the second quarter. Johnson extended the Tigers’ lead past 10 for the first time, 35-23, as she made her free throw after getting fouled on a pull up mid range jumper to complete the three-point play. LSU forced the Bobcats into a three minute scoring drought as it went on a 10-0 run late into the second quarter, capped off by a three by Morris. Poole and Carson scored on layups in the final minute of the half and LSU took a 48-30 lead into the break. Reese secured her 11th double-double of the season as she racked up 22 points and hauled in 10 rebounds all by halftime. Reese was met with contact in the paint and went 8-10 from the foul line in the first half. The Tigers outrebounded the Bobcats 23-7 after two quarters. Montana State was only able to bring down one offensive rebound compared to LSU’s 9. The Bobcat bench made an impact as it accounted for 20 of the teams’ 30 first half points. Early in the third quarter, Morris scored her 1000th career point as she pulled up for a deep three late in the shot clock. Johnson reached double figures on her second three-point play of the game after a tough finish underneath the rim. The Tigers headed into the final quarter with a comfortable 71-42 lead. The Tigers’ momentum transitioned into the fourth as LSU continued to extend its lead. The Bobcats were held to just 10 points in the fourth and LSU continued to play fast late in the game and ended the night with a 39-point victory, 91-52. Da Boot Sports 12/14/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: LSU Staff BATON ROUGE —Angel Reese scored a career high 32 points on 13-15 shooting as the No. 11 LSU women’s basketball team (10-0) defeated Lamar (4-5) on Wednesday night in the PMAC, 88-42. “I let the game come to me and my teammates do a good job for me,” Reese said. Reese finished with a career high 32, breaking her previous record of 31 set in this year’s season opener against Bellarmine. The Maryland transfer also led the team in rebounds with 15. Reese’s performance secured her tenth double-double in just as many games to open the season. She is the first LSU player with double-digit consecutive double-doubles since Sylvia Fowles had 19 straight during the 2006-07 season. “That feels really good to be named with one of the best post players ever to play the game so I’m really excited,” Reese said. “Being at LSU, I’ve been able to accomplish a lot of things but I couldn’t do it without my coaches and teammates so I’m just happy to be here.” “She was getting lots of looks and layups,” Coach Kim Mulkey said. “Consequently, she was 13-for-15 from the field. Her production in the second quarter allowed us to finally get going.” The undefeated Tigers are set to head to Maui, Hawaii Thursday morning for two games over the weekend against Montana State on Saturday and Oregon State on Sunday. LSU will then be off over the holidays before beginning SEC play on December 29th at Arkansas. Flau’jae Johnson finished the night with 21 points and 8 rebounds. Johnson broke the 20-point margin for the second time in her career in Wednesday night’s wins and she added 8 rebounds. Jasmine Carson was the only other Tiger to finish in double figures as she scored a dozen and went 4-8 from behind the arc. Kateri Poole tied her career high assists as she racked up 7 total, Lamar didn’t earn a single assist. This her fourth time to reach 7 in a game and her first time to do so at LSU. The Cardinals were led by Sabrina Dean as she finished with 15 points and went 6-15 from the field. Portia Adams led the visitors in rebounds with 8 and was second in points with 14. LSU held Lamar to 0 assists throughout the entire game. LSU found its first bucket as a Kateri Poole three-pointer snapped a 4-0 Lamar run three minutes into the first quarter. The Tigers battled and tied the game with a minute to go in the first as Reese scored her ninth point of the night. LSU took its first lead of the night as Johnson rebounded her own free throw and found Reese in the paint to make it 17-15 at the end of the quarter. The Tigers began to piece things together in the second quarter as they went on a 23-3 run over the opening eight minutes of play. The Tigers went on a hot streak shooting 9-9 from the field and held Lamar to 0-5 through six minutes of action. LSU headed into the break with a 22 point lead after only up by 2 at the end of the opening quarter, 43-21. Reese finished the half with 21 points and 5 rebounds as she stayed on the court for all 20 minutes of play. Johnson was the only other Tiger in double figures at the half as she scored 10 points and hauled in 6 boards. Poole had a season high 4 assists after the first two quarters. Carson scored her first points of the game as she hit back to back threes within the first two minutes of the third quarter. LSU extended its lead past 30 as a Smith block led to a Johnson and-one on the other end. With under a minute to play Reese secured her tenth double-double in as many games this season. The Tigers went into the last quarter with a 71-34 lead over the Cardinals. Four minutes into the final quarter Reese set a new career high as she brought her final total to 32 on a second chance lay-up. Reese finished her night with four minutes remaining after playing the first 36 minutes without a sub. LSU closed the game strong to remain undefeated. |