LSU Drops to 0-2 in SEC Play For First Time in Kim Mulkey Era After 65-61 Loss to No. 12 Vanderbilt

By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, TIGER RAG STAFF Reporter

Vanderbilt sophomore guard Mikayla Blakes erupted for 15 points in the fourth quarter and 32 total points on the night to help lift No. 12 Vanderbilt 65-61 over the fifth-ranked LSU women’s basketball team on Sunday evening at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tennessee.

The fifth-ranked LSU women’s basketball team broke down in the fourth quarter for the second straight game. Despite out-rebounding the Commodores 48-28, the Tigers had a season-high 22 turnovers, which hurt especially in the last couple of minutes of the game.

For the first time in the Kim Mulkey era, LSU (14-2, 0-2 Southeastern Conference) has started off conference play 0-2.  The Tigers have now dropped seven straight games against top-12 SEC opponents.

 

Junior and sophomore guards MiLaysia Fulwiley and Jada Richard both led scoring for LSU with 13 points each. Junior guard Mikaylah Williams scored 10 points and freshman forward ZaKiyah Johnson scored 10 points.

Fulwiley heated up three minutes into the fourth quarter. She found ZaKiyah Johnson on two straight possessions on the inside after getting steals to give LSU the 49-42 lead with 6:30 to go. Vanderbilt wouldn’t go away, though. The Commodores took the 50-49 lead with 4:38 to go after it went on an 8-0 run. After a few possessions of trading baskets, Aubrey Galvan hit a three to gibe Vanderbilt the 60-58 lead. On the ensuing possession, LSU turned the ball over and Blakes hit a tough shot in the paint with the foul to make it 62-58 with a minute remaining. Blakes put the Commodores up 64-58 before Williams hit a three pointer to make it 64-61. LSU was unable to get a steal on defense on the last possession.

Coming out of the half, Vanderbilt scored on two straight possessions to cut the LSU lead to two. The Tigers would do enough to get some breathing room with their lead as they made it 39-32 with 4:42 to go in the quarter. Vanderbilt would made two three point shots to cut the Tigers lead to two. Vanderbilt outscored LSU 20-15 in the quarter and maintained the momentum in the last ten minutes of the game.  

Scoring was slow in the first few minutes of the quarter but picked up during the last five minutes of the frame. LSU used an 11-0 run to take the 25-18 lead with 3:30 to play before halftime. The Tigers would end up taking a 28-22 lead into the half as LSU played stifling defense in the second frame, holding the Commodores to just 7 points in the quarter on 3-of-14 shooting (21.4%). Fulwiley scored six points in the quarter. 

LSU’s offense started the first five minutes off in Nashville right where it left off in Baton Rouge, turning the ball over five times through the first five minutes of the game. Vanderbilt took an early 11-7 lead with the help of sophomore guard Mikayla Blakes, who scored the first 11 points of the game for her team. The Tigers struggled offensively, shooting 5-of-14 (35.7%) in the first quarter and Vanderbilt would go into the second quarter with a 15-12 lead.

The Tigers return to action against Georgia (15-1, 1-1 SEC) on Thursday night in Athens (5:30 p.m., SEC Network+).