BATON ROUGE — The LSU Tigers overcame some early sluggishness to defeat the Auburn Tigers 73-63 inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Sunday afternoon. With the victory, Kim Mulkey’s team remains undefeated on the season and starts Southeastern Conference play 2-0.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
LSU jumped out to an early lead as Aneesah Morrow made back-to-back buckets but Auburn responded with a 7-0 run. The visiting Tigers would outscore the home Tigers 7-4 in the final 3:20 and held a 16-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.
LSU came storming back in the second quarter as the Tigers started the period on an 8-0 run, with Morrow scoring four of those points.
LSU kept its foot on the gas in the second, and Kailyn Gilbert was a big reason for that. Gilbert went a five-for-five in the second scoring 11 of her 13 first-half points. That helped LSU build up a 38-24 lead at halftime.
Auburn clawed back into the game midway through the third by going on a 9-0 run, led by four points by Taylen Collins. That cut the lead down to 11 points but LSU answered. Mikaylah Williams drained free throws and Gilbert hit a jumper to push back to 15 points.
LSU maintained its double-digit lead in the fourth quarter as Auburn was kept at bay as the purple and gold Tigers picked up the victory.
BIG NUMBER: 27
After struggling to reach double figures in the first quarter, LSU’s offense caught fire in the second quarter. LSU outscored Auburn 27-8 in the period and flipped a five-point deficit into a 14-point lead.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME: ANEESAH MORROW & KAILYN GILBERT
Morrow set the tone early in the game and ended the afternoon with 21 points and 14 rebounds for her 15th double-double. Gilbert gave the Tigers a spark off the bench as she scored 17 points and was a perfect six-of-six from the field in the first half.
UP NEXT: LSU (17-0, 2-0 SEC) returns to the hardwood on Thursday when it travels to take on Tennessee (13-1, 1-1). Tip is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. and you can listen to the action on Mustang 107.1 FM — Your Home for LSU Women’s Basketball in Acadiana.
