Morris’ career-high 31 lifts No, 3 LSU over Tennessee, 76-68

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — LSU guard Alexis Morris showcased her pace, capturing contact and veteran savvy, punishing Tennessee for its obvious preoccupation with dominant Tigers submit participant Angel Reese.

Morris scored a career-high 31 factors, stirring a raucous sellout crowd with a sequence of clutch transition layups within the fourth quarter, and third-ranked LSU remained unbeaten with a 76-68 victory over Tennessee on Monday evening.

“I needed to be the participant to remain poised as a result of I’m skilled. I’ve been right here earlier than,” Morris stated. “I received my first few transition buckets and was like, ‘OK, that is fairly simple. I would as effectively use it to my benefit.’ And that’s what I did tonight, push it in transition and put the stress on them.”

Reese had 18 factors and 17 rebounds for her program-record twenty first straight double-double for LSU (21-0, 9-0 SEC). Reese’s highlights included a transition layup whereas being fouled throughout a pivotal 11-0 run after the Girl Vols had pulled as shut as 53-52 within the fourth quarter.

Jordan Walker scored 19 factors and Rickea Jackson added 17 for Tennessee (16-8, 8-1), which has misplaced two straight, albeit to 2 top-five groups (No. 5 UConn being the opposite).

Jordan Horston scored 11 for Tennessee, which almost rallied from a 14-point deficit within the second half earlier than the Tigers’ last surge saved the Girl Vols at arm’s size within the last minutes.

“It was aggressive — received away from us there within the second half,” Tennessee coach Kellie Harper stated. “Clearly, Alexis Morris made some actually, actually powerful photographs and put up quite a lot of factors.”

Reese was held to simply 4 factors and 4 rebounds within the first half, when she was attempting to keep away from foul bother. She ramped up her aggression after that.

“Along with her, it’s actually tough to maintain her utterly off the boards,” Harper stated. “Along with her size and her energy, she simply has place early, and it’s actually tough as a result of she has such a knack for the ball.”

LSU led by as many as 9 within the first half after Final-Tear Poa’s 3 made it 32-23 late within the second quarter.

Tennessee closed to 34-31 after Jackson scored inside to open the second half. However 3s by Jasmine Carson and Morris helped LSU begin to draw back once more. Morris’ free throws ignited an 8-0 run, capped by Reese’s driving layup that made it 48-34 in the midst of the third quarter.

Tennessee went greater than 4 minutes with out scoring earlier than Jackson’s layup made it 48-36.

Tennessee then started defending all the size of the courtroom. That disrupted the Tigers, who didn’t hit a area objective for the final 5:45 of the third, permitting Tennessee to tug to 50-47 on Puckett’s 3 within the last minute of the interval.

The Vols had been as shut as 53-52 after Jackson’s free throw, however Morris responded with a driving leaner whereas being fouled for a three-point play. Quickly after, Reese transformed a steal right into a transition layup as she was fouled. Morris then scored twice extra in transition, sending the gang, and LSU coach Kim Mulkey, right into a triumphant frenzy.

“All people within the SEC picked Tennessee to complete forward of us,” Mulkey famous. “If I’m a competitor, I take that as a problem.”

FULL HOUSE

The gang of 15,157 was the biggest since a 2005 renovation of the Pete Maravich Meeting Middle.

Mulkey known as the environment within the area “every thing younger individuals have to expertise in school.”

Added Reese, a Maryland switch, “I’ve by no means been part of the sort of surroundings. … To return to a faculty the place they help ladies’s basketball, generally much more than the lads, is wonderful and also you don’t see that fairly often.”

Harper stated it was so loud at occasions that “it was actually tough to speak with our staff” whereas the ball was in play.

“Generally,” Haper added, “it was laborious to even talk within the huddle.”

BIG PICTURE

Tennessee: The Girl Vols continued to be a sufferer of their tough schedule. They now have a half-dozen losses towards ranked groups and most of these dropping margins had been single digits. … Tennessee shot 8 of 19 from 3-point vary to maintain the sport shut, however had been outperformed inside within the second half.

LSU: Led for all however a couple of minutes and all the time had a response for every Tennessee push. LSU outrebounded Tennessee 45-38, outscored the Girl Vols within the paint 38-30 and scored 23 factors on the foul line to Tennessee’s six.

UP NEXT

Tennessee: Hosts Mississippi on Thursday.

LSU: Hosts Georgia on Thursday.

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AP ladies’s school basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll