LSU beats Illinois-Chicago in Aneesah Morrow’s homecoming | LSU

It took the LSU women’s basketball team three quarters to pull away from its first true road opponent of the season, an Illinois-Chicago team that played pesky defense down the court.

The No. 5 The Tigers (14-0) finally found an offensive rhythm Thursday and won 91-73.

But not before missing eight of their first nine shots, Illinois-Chicago allowed five of its 11 first-half 3-point attempts and entered halftime with just 15 field goals on 36 attempts. Across the first and second quarters, LSU failed to build a lead of more than 11, giving up opportunities for the overmatched Flames (2-6) to sniff out a potential upset.

Flau’jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow helped put those chances away at the start of the third quarter.

“We won,” coach Kim Mulkey said. “Never forget that.

“We scored a lot of points. We also gave up a lot of points. I thought we got to the foul line early in the third and fourth quarter. That’s good. But this was a game where I’m not sure, from a defensive standpoint, both teams were very good.”

Johnson, a junior, drew three fouls in just the first five minutes of the second half and earned trips to the free throw line that helped the LSU offense heat up. The Tigers opened the third quarter by hitting Illinois-Chicago with a 12-2 run, and they closed it with a 67-46 lead. The Flames shot just 27% from the field in the frame.

Morrow — the star senior who played his high school ball just 12 miles north of Illinois-Chicago’s Credit Union 1 arena — finished his homecoming game with 19 points, 13 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists, 2 blocks and his nation-leading 12th double-double – the double of the season. On Thursday, she also knocked in a pair of 3-pointers just two days after burying 2 of her 3 long-range attempts in LSU’s win over Seton Hall. Prior to that game, Morrow had hit just 1 of the 5 3-pointers she had taken this season.

In the win, Morrow recorded her 86th career double-double and moved into a tie with former BYU forward Lauren Gustin for the fifth-most in Division I history.

“I felt like I was a little nervous tonight, obviously, coming back home,” Morrow said. “A lot of chippy shots I missed that I normally wouldn’t miss, just getting into the flow of the game. But it’s understandable because it’s a home game.”

Johnson finished with 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting, 11 rebounds and three assists. Sophomore star Mikaylah Williams added 17 points and 7 assists, but shot just 1 of 6 from beyond the arc.

Illinois-Chicago shot 40% from the field and committed 19 turnovers, which LSU turned into 28 points. The Flames also missed 11 of the 15 field goals – and 3 of the 4 3-pointers – they attempted in the third. In that quarter, they gave the Tigers 14 trips to the free throw line.

LSU and Illinois-Chicago also combined to shoot 19 of 41 from 3-point range.

“I think we allowed dribbles to happen too much,” Mulkey said, “and because of that they made more 3s. I think they doubled the number they make in games. They don’t normally make so many threes.”

In a Sunday win over UL, LSU committed 21 turnovers, matching its season high. Since then, it has coughed up 13 possessions against Seton Hall and 13 in its win over Illinois-Chicago. It tallied more giveaways (17) in just the first half of the game against the Ragin Cajuns.

For the third straight game, LSU inserted Last-Tear Poa and Jersey Wolfenbarger into its starting lineup alongside its three stars – Johnson, Morrow and Williams. Transfer point guard Shayeann Day-Wilson (ankle) sat for the third straight contest and Sa’Myah Smith logged 23 minutes off the bench.

In that action, Smith played one of his most efficient games of the season. She scored 8 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and blocked a shot while shooting 4 of 4 from the field.

LSU will next have the holiday, after which only one more non-conference game will be played, a home contest against Albany scheduled to tip off at 1:00pm on Sunday, December 29th.

The Tigers are 14-0 for just the fifth time in program history.

Only two LSU teams have started a season 15-0: the 2002-2003 squad that reached the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight and the 2022-2023 team that won the national title.