No. 7 LSU With Program’s Best Start Following 67-48 Win At Kentucky

No. 7 LSU improved to 16-0 (4-0 SEC) on Sunday, the most effective begin in program historical past, because the Tigers took down Kentucky (8-8, 0-4 SEC) in Rupp Area.

LSU has began SEC play with wins by 24, 25, 40 and 19 factors in its first 4 convention video games.

“Look, it simply feels good to win,” Coach Kim Mulkey mentioned. “Whether or not you’re 16-0. Whether or not you’re breaking data. Simply successful the subsequent sport all the time feels good.”

Standout freshman Flau’jae Johnson continued to impress as she was one level shy of her profession excessive. Johnson tallied 26 factors and eight rebounds in a dominant win over Kentucky. The three-time and reigning SEC Freshman of the Week has a very good likelihood of creating it a fourth as she picked up proper the place she left off after scoring 18 factors in opposition to Texas A&M on Thursday.

Angel Reese earned her sixteenth double-double in as many video games and the longest streak of consecutive double-doubles to open a season in SEC historical past continued. After a historic efficiency in opposition to Texas A&M the place Reese dropped 26 factors and hauled in a LSU report 28 rebounds, Reese completed Sunday afternoon’s contest with 26 factors and 13 boards. Reese has been on a tear as she’s scored 20+ factors in 12 of the previous 13 video games.

The dynamic duo of Johnson and Reese mixed for 52 of the Tigers 67 factors as they led LSU to its finest begin in program historical past.

Guard Alexis Morris performed her fewest minutes of the season with flu-like signs.

LSU received to the free-throw line quite a bit and the Tigers had been environment friendly once they went there, taking pictures 25-31 from the charity stripe. Reese was 16-17 from the free-throw line. LSU additionally outrebounded the Wildcats, 45-23.

“I believed we actually centered after the [Texas] A&M sport on beginning video games and ending video games and I believed our begin was superb at the moment,” Coach Mulkey mentioned. “I believed we attacked. I believed we scored the ball. I believed we executed.”

Kentucky duo, Maddie Scherr and Robyn Benton, led the way in which for the Wildcats. Scherr led the group with a profession excessive 22 factors and 4 made threes, probably the most of her profession. Benton was the one different Wildcat in double figures who adopted with 11. No Kentucky participant had greater than 5 rebounds, Nyah Leveretter had 5 and 4 gamers had 4.

The Tigers will stay on the highway as they journey for a highway sport Thursday evening to take Missouri at 6 p.m. CT in Mizzou Area. LSU will probably be returning residence to host Auburn subsequent Sunday and Seimone Augustus’ statue will probably be unveiled previous to the sport.

The Tigers went on a 5-0 run to start out the sport and earned a 13-5 lead on the first timeout 4 minutes into the opening quarter. The Wildcats lower the LSU result in 3 after a trey from Scherr and a driving layup by Cambridge made it 15-12. After beginning 5-6 from the sphere, LSU went 0-6 after the timeout and received caught in a scoring drought that lasted about 4 minutes till Reese made two free throws with six seconds left within the quarter to take a 17-12 lead after one. LSU went 88-percent (7-8) from the foul line within the first quarter. Reese and Johnson led the group with six factors every forward of the second quarter.

Each groups began sluggish within the second and it wasn’t till 4 minutes in when Reese gave the Tigers its first two factors of the quarter. LSU traded buckets with the Wildcats and seemed to achieve momentum simply earlier than the media timeout when Johnson went coast to coast weaving by defenders to push LSU previous 20. The Tigers led 21-17 on the media timeout. Johnson picked up proper the place she left off to make it a 6-0 solo run and gave LSU a 8-point lead. A 12-0 run by LSU pressured a Kentucky timeout after the Wildcats went 1 of its final 9 discipline objectives and was caught in a 4:38 scoring drought. The Tigers held UK to simply 5 factors within the second quarter and went onto the break up 31-17.

The third quarter received off to a aggressive begin as UK outscored LSU 9-8 4 minutes into the quarter. The Tigers scored half its third quarter factors from the charity stripe and its different half was cut up by Johnson and Reese. LSU led Kentucky 39-26 on the first media timeout of the quarter. After the timeout LSU went on an 8-0 run and took benefit of three UK turnovers inside that run. With half a minute to go within the third Reese picked up her tenth rebound and earned her sixteenth double-double in as many video games this season. LSU ended the quarter because it transformed a full court docket play within the ultimate 4 seconds as Johnson inbounded the ball throughout court docket to Reese who completed inside simply earlier than the buzzer.

The ultimate quarter was one other tight race as LSU held on to the lead it had constructed up. UK outscored LSU early within the quarter and did its finest to shorten the Tiger lead. The Wildcats had been led by Scherr who had 12 fourth quarter factors and headlined a late 7-0 UK run. The Tigers continued to make the most of their time from the free throw line as they went 7-9 from the stripe within the fourth. Regardless of ending the quarter 5 of its final 6, the very best scoring Kentucky quarter (21) wasn’t sufficient to catch the Tigers.