BATON ROUGE – The 10-day layoff between games couldn’t have been more prevalent for LSU women’s basketball in the first half against Louisiana Sunday afternoon.
Kim Mulkey’s squad struggled to find any offensive rhythm, shooting just 33%, 11% from behind the arc as well as turned the ball over 11 times as the Ragin’ Cajuns played them to a 28-28 tie after two quarters.
Aneesah Morrow, who’s been the catalyst for the No. 7-ranked Tigers since Angel Reese’s absence and even subsequent return, scored eight quick points coming out of the locker room. Behind Morrow, LSU eventually took control of the game and ran away from UL, 83-53, inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Morrow finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds.
LSU needed Morrow and others to step up as starting senior point guard Hailey Van Lith was held out of action due to lingering ankle and wrist issues.
How LSU women’s basketball guards looked without Hailey Van Lith
On offense, LSU stood around for the better part of the opening quarter with junior Last-Tear Poa getting the start in place of Hailey Van Lith.
Poa and the rest of the starting lineup was subbed out early and younger guards Angelica Velez and Janae Kent received plenty of court time Sunday. The guards ended up with 12 turnovers and looked disjointed.
Outside of MiKaylah Williams’ 18 points, guards managed just seven points.
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Reese had a quiet start to the game, just like other stars Flau’jae Johnson and Williams, but she pushed through and ended up having a solid outing with 19 points and nine rebounds.
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As opposed to her first game back against Virginia Tech last time out, Reese looked more comfortable as she played a few more minutes, getting back into the swing of things. Her post game looked closer to how she played last season and she was more active on the glass.
Tigers freshman center Aalyah Del Rosario provides spark off bench
Del Rosario has been placed into some difficult spots so far her freshman but those experiences seem to have her growing pretty rapidly.
The 6-5 center provided the team a spark off the bench against the undersized Ragin’ Cajuns squad, scoring five points in her first six minutes of play. Del Rosario finished with seven points, six rebounds and an 11 plus-minus in just 16 minutes, showing her efficiency when on the court for the Tigers.
Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU/UL athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at [email protected].