Tag: Aneesah Morrow

Instant Analysis: LSU women’s basketball comes up short in rematch against South Carolina in SEC Tournament championship

In a game that featured some drama late, the Tigers didn’t have enough to knock off the unbeaten Gamecocks.

The LSU women’s basketball team was looking for revenge on Sunday after a loss to South Carolina on its home floor early this season, but the top-seeded, undefeated Gamecocks were too much for the Tigers.

They were overpowered in a 79-72 loss as South Carolina, the regular season league champs, added another tournament title to its repertoire.

LSU led for much of the first quarter, but it found itself trailing by three by its end. South Carolina looked to expand that lead in the second and did by as much as seven, but LSU fought back and cut its deficit to 36-32 heading into halftime.

It was a big half for [autotag]Aneesah Morrow[/autotag], who led the way for the Tigers with 11 points.

South Carolina opened the third quarter on a 10-1 run and stretched what was at that point a game-high 13-point lead. But LSU wouldn’t go away, cutting into that lead and chipping it down to six entering the fourth quarter.

LSU trimmed the lead down to one in the final frame, but it couldn’t recapture the lead.

The final quarter also featured an ugly moment. After an intentional foul from [autotag]Flau’Jae Johnson[/autotag] led to some shoving, Gamecocks star Kamilla Cardoso shoved Johnson to the ground, leading to a bench-clearing brawl and the reported arrest of Johnson’s brother, who entered the court in response.

Every player who left the bench was ejected with 2:08 to play in addition to Cardoso, who will additionally be suspended for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

It wasn’t a banner day offensively for the Tigers, who shot just 37%. Morrow was the standout with a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double, while [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] had a double-double as well with 15 points and 13 rebounds while playing through pain.

[autotag]Hailey Van Lith[/autotag] scored 14, while Johnson finished with 13.

Now, the Tigers will await their NCAA Tournament next Sunday. They’re widely projected to be a No. 2 seed and would host the first two rounds in Baton Rouge if that’s the case.

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Instant Analysis: LSU takes down Ole Miss in SEC semifinal, advances to championship game vs. South Carolina

The Tigers advance to their first SEC championship since 2012, where they will look for revenge against the Gamecocks.

The LSU women’s basketball team withstood a third-quarter rally to beat Ole Miss 75-67 in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal on Saturday night, and now coach Kim Mulkey’s team will advance to its first conference championship game since 2012, where it will face South Carolina in the rematch.

Ole Miss shot just 3 of 17 in the first quarter, and the Tigers managed to stretch a 19-12 lead in the frame with [autotag]Aneesah Morrow[/autotag] and [autotag]Flau’Jae Johnson[/autotag] combining for 15 points.

The Rebels cut the lead to four in the second quarter, but LSU subsequently stretched it back out to 11 and took a 36-28 lead to the locker room.

The third quarter was a different story, though. Ole Miss got back in the game, outscoring the Tigers in the frame and cutting their lead to just two entering the final period.

The Rebels couldn’t keep LSU from pulling away, however, in large part thanks to some clutch shooting from Johnson, who finished with 21 points. Angel Reese also scored 21 while adding 17 rebounds, and Aneesah Morrow had a double-double of her own with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

It wasn’t all good news for the Tigers, however. Guard [autotag]Last-Tear Poa[/autotag], an important rotational player, was stretchered off the court after seemingly hitting her head. She was taken to a local hospital.

The Tigers will be back in action on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT as they look to get their revenge against South Carolina.

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LSU’s Aneesah Morrow a finalist for the Cheryl Miller Award

Aneesah Morrow has been a massive addition for the Tigers this season.

It’s been a tremendous first season at LSU for DePaul transfer forward [autotag]Aneesah Morrow[/autotag], and the junior finds herself in contention for some prestigious hardware.

On Wednesday, Morrow was named a finalist for the Cheryl Miller Award, which is given annually to the top small forward in women’s college basketball. She’s one of five players named to the list of finalists, which will be presented to the selection committee later this month.

Morrow was also named to the First Team All-SEC on Monday and is a finalist for the Naismith Award, given to the top player in the country regardless of position.

Morrow currently ranks seventh in the nation with 18 double-doubles on the year. Her 16.7 points per game rank sixth in the SEC, and her rebounding average of 10 ranks fifth.

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3 Tigers honored in USA TODAY Sports’ postseason SEC women’s basketball accolades

The Tigers were unsurprisingly heavily featured in the postseason superlatives.

USA TODAY Sports released its postseason SEC honors on Wednesday, and it should come as no surprise that LSU features heavily on the list.

The highlight is [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag], who was named SEC Player of the Year. She also won that award from the league itself, and she’s featured on the First Team All-SEC.

Joining her as a First-Teamer is [autotag]Aneesah Morrow[/autotag], and the DePaul transfer was also named the SEC Newcomer of the Year after a tremendous first season in Baton Rouge.

Finally, [autotag]Flau’Jae Johnson[/autotag] was named to the Second Team All-SEC after she continued to build on a tremendous true freshman season as a sophomore this year.

USA TODAY didn’t release any freshman honors, but [autotag]Mikaylah Williams[/autotag] was named the Freshman of the Year by the league, while [autotag]Aalyah Del Rosario[/autotag] joined her on the All-Freshman Team.

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LSU’s Angel Reese named SEC Player of the Year

Angel Reese becomes LSU’s third winner of the award and the first since Sylvia Fowles in 2008.

LSU’s [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] has been named the SEC Player of the Year after once again leading the Tigers to a fantastic campaign.

Reese becomes the third LSU player to win the award after [autotag]Seimone Augustus[/autotag] (2005-06) and [autotag]Sylvia Fowles[/autotag] (2008). She was also named to the First Team All-SEC team by the league along with teammate [autotag]Aneesah Morrow[/autotag].

She’s joined as a postseason award winner by SEC Freshman of the Year [autotag]Mikaylah Williams[/autotag], making LSU the first SEC team to have players win both awards since South Carolina did so in 2015.

Reese led the SEC in scoring (19.1) and rebounding (13.0), becoming the first player to do so in back-to-back seasons since Vanderbilt’s Wendy Scholtens in 1989-90.

Reese has 20 double-doubles in the season, giving her 54 in her two-year LSU career. Though she’s eligible for the WNBA draft, the fourth-year junior has the opportunity to return to Baton Rouge for one more season if she chooses.

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Instant Analysis: LSU women’s basketball beats Kentucky on Senior Day

The Tigers ended the regular season on a high note.

In the final game of the regular season, the LSU women’s basketball team earned a 77-56 Senior Day win over Kentucky to finish the regular season 26-4 and 13-3 in SEC play.

Neither team shot particularly well in the first quarter (both were under 30%) but the Tigers took advantage of some serious sloppiness from the Wildcats, who had nine turnovers in the first quarter alone.

Those led to half of LSU’s 20 points as it jumped out to an 11-point lead after the first 10 minutes. The Tigers would stretch their lead as big as 17 in the second quarter, but the frame went to Kentucky overall.

It ended the half on a 13-2 run, while LSU made just 1 of its final 10 shots in the second quarter and had a 3:28 scoring drought. Heading to the locker room, the Tigers led just 33-27.

That momentum wouldn’t carry into the second half, though. LSU came out firing, connecting on 12 of 16 shots as it scored 27 in the frame. It stretched a then game-high 19-point lead and ultimately led by 15 entering the fourth, a lead LSU would go on to expand.

[autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] finished with another double-double (22 points, 14 rebounds), as did [autotag]Aneesah Morrow[/autotag] (15 points, 10 rebounds). [autotag]Flau’Jae Johnson[/autotag] added 21 points as well.

Now LSU will turn its attention to the SEC Tournament in Greenville this week, where it will be the No. 2 seed.

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Instant Analysis: LSU women’s basketball’s hot streak continues at Georgia

The Tigers have now won seven games in a row and are playing their best ball at the right time.

The LSU women’s basketball team continues to play its best basketball at the right time, and now the Tigers have won seven games in a row after an 80-54 beatdown against the Georgia Bulldogs on Thursday night.

LSU took control early in the game, leading by nine after the first quarter. It outscored the Bulldogs 21-8 in the second quarter, and it led by as much as 32 in the third quarter.

Georgia mounted a rally, outscoring the Tigers by seven in the third quarter to trim the lead to 13. But LSU dominated the fourth quarter by a 20-9 margin, ultimately breezing to a 26-point win.

All five LSU starters scored in double figures, including Hailey Van Lith, who led the team with 18 points. [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] (17 points, 15 rebounds) and [autotag]Aneesah Morrow[/autotag] (16 points, 10 rebounds) recorded double-doubles.

The Tigers have one remaining game in the regular season and will host Kentucky on Sunday afternoon for Senior Day.

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Kim Mulkey praises defensive effort from LSU freshman Aalyah Del Rosario

Aalyah Del Rosario has played key minutes coming off the bench as a substitute for Angel Reese.

Entering the 2023-24 season, LSU had a number of star-studded additions to the roster.

Most of the talk centered around transfers [autotag]Aneesah Morrow[/autotag] and [autotag]Hailey Van Lith[/autotag], as well as No. 1 recruit [autotag]Mikaylah Williams[/autotag]. However, one of the more unheralded additions has been another true freshman: [autotag]Aalyah Del Rosario[/autotag].

Mostly relegated to a bench role this season, Del Rosario has been an impactful substitution in her first season. In Monday’s win over Texas A&M, she played 12 minutes, totaling four points and two rebounds.

While that may not blow you away, she was especially impactful on the defensive end, recording three blocks and a steal.

Coach [autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag] praised her effort after the game.

“Aalyah, her stats are similar to S’Myah Smith and Nalyssa Smith’s freshman year stats,” Mulkey said. “That’s something a freshman coming off the bench needs to here, because it’s new for a lot of freshmen. You come in and you’re an All-American and you don’t realize how well they’re doing. There was a stretch there where she was blocking shots left and right. We’ll dwell on the three missed free throws, but she was a factor when Angel was subbed for.”

LSU will hope Del Rosario continues to develop and can be relied on for key minutes down the stretch as this team pushes toward the postseason.

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Instant Analysis: LSU women’s basketball keeps rolling with dominant win at Texas A&M

The Tigers held Texas A&M to just 14 first-half points in a road beatdown on Monday night.

The LSU women’s basketball team has been hot as of late, and that streak continued on Monday night as the No. 13 Tigers secured a blowout road win against Texas A&M, 81-58.

The Aggies offense was abysmal in the first half, connecting on just seven of 35 shots. In the first 20 minutes of game time, they managed just 14 points and trailed by 22 at the break.

The offense woke up in the third quarter, as Texas A&M’s 22 points exceeded the total from the first two quarters combined, but it was too little, too late. LSU shot above 50% for the game, and the Aggies never really had a chance to get back in it.

[autotag]Aneesah Morrow[/autotag] (25 points, 15 rebounds) and [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] (13 points, 10 rebounds) both had double-doubles, while it was a huge night for [autotag]Flau’Jae Johnson[/autotag], who scored 20.

LSU moves to 22-4 and 9-3 in SEC play. It will return home Thursday night to host Auburn as it seeks revenge for a road loss in January on the plains.

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LSU women’s basketball’s Angel Reese, Aneesah Morrow named to Naismith midseason watchlist

LSU has quite the dynamic duo in the frontcourt.

LSU’s 2023-24 women’s basketball team has seen some ups and downs this season, but when it’s on, it’s as good as anyone in the nation.

Both [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] — the star of last year’s national title team — and DePaul transfer [autotag]Aneesah Morrow[/autotag] have been major contributing factors. As a dynamic duo in the post, they’ve allowed LSU to be one of the top rebounding teams in the nation.

Both were named to the midseason watchlist for the Naismith Player of the Year Trophy, which is given to the best player nationally in both men’s and women’s college basketball.

Reese leads the SEC and ranks second nationally in rebounding average (12.6) and ranks second in the league in points per game (19.5). Morrow’s 17.3 points per game ranks seventh in the conference, and her 9.9 rebounds rank fourth in the SEC. That’s also good for 28th nationally.

If LSU is ultimately able to repeat as national champions come tournament time, you can be sure this duo will be a primary reason for it.

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