LSU women's basketball overcame a slow start on Thursday to cement an undefeated record heading into Christmas for the second time in four years under head coach Kim Mulkey.
In her homecoming, Aneesah Morrow posted her 12th double-double of the season as the Tigers defeated Illinois-Chicago 91-73 on Thursday. She totaled 19 points and 13 rebounds. Flau'Jae Johnson also finished with a double-double with a game-high 23 points and 11 rebounds. Mikaylah Williams rounded out the purple and gold's double-digit scorers with 17 points.
In a high-scoring contest filled with three-point attempts, the first quarter was a defensive stalemate. LSU broke through with a 9-0 run late in the frame and forced seven turnovers. Illinois-Chicago opened the second going 3-3 from the floor, but the Tigers recovered and entered the break up nine.
LSU kept the energy going after the half as it opened on a 12-0 run to put the game out of reach. The Tigers didn't allow a field goal in the opening four minutes of the third and pushed its lead to 20 midway through the fourth. They weathered a there-point barrage by the Flames and sealed an 18-point victory.
Morrow's double-double, the 86th of her career, moves her into sixth place for most in Division I history. Before Thursday's game, she visited her high school, Simeon Career Academy, which she led to its first City and State championships. Morrow is the school's first women's basketball player to have her jersey retired.
"She got to come back home, and she got a warm applause on her introduction. I'm glad that we were able to do it. It's important to them, and it's important to me, too."
"They were doubling her, and I need to help her a little bit more on some things. It was crowded in there. She came out to shoot more perimeter shots than she's probably shot in a while, but you expect that coming home. She finally relaxed and made some."
Defensive Concerns
LSU allowed Illinois-Chicago to shoot over 40% from the field, which didn't sit right with Mulkey. While she admitted the game lacked defense as a whole, the Tigers' leader wants more out of her team on that end of the floor.
"This is a game where I'm not sure, from a defensive standpoint, either team was good defensively."
"We've got to get better defensively. We just don't defend like it matters. We defend like, 'We're better than you, and we're going to outscore you,' and that just bothers me."
"You have all of them buy into it, get in a stance. We've got to get back to being a better defensive team."
In-game Adjustments
Coming into the game, LSU was not prepared to guard Illinois-Chicago heavily around the arc. The Flames went 45.8% from three-point range and shot 50% or higher in two frames of Thursday's contest.
"I can't tell you that I made many adjustments. I think we allowed dribble penetration to happen too much, and because of that, they made more threes. I think they doubled the number they make in games; they don't normally make many threes."
Focus
"At one point, I thought I was watching an all-star game, seeing who could shoot the most threes and make them. I'm grateful that we won. It's hard to go on the road and play, and then after the game, they all head home for Christmas, so I think focus would be a word that I would use."
"You worry about your team's focus when you play a game the night before they leave, and it's on the road. That is always a concern."
In its next game, LSU returns to Baton Rouge to host Albany on December 29 at 1 PM.