No. 9 LSU women’s basketball is hitting its stride at just the right time and is looking to pick up its seventh straight win when it goes on the road to play Georgia tonight.
Georgia (12-15, (3-11 SEC) is coming off a 16-point win over Florida, but before that had lost four straight games. The Bulldogs have won just three of the 14 games they have played in 2024 and sit in second to last place ahead of only Missouri in the SEC standings.
LSU (24-4, 11-3 SEC) is on its biggest win streak since before conference play started and is coming off a 15-point win over Tennessee. Hailey Van Lith scored a season-high 26 points in the win. Van Lith shot 50% from the field and scored five threes with zero turnovers in the win.
The Tigers’ good form has seen them rise four spots in the most recent AP Poll. One more win or an Ole Miss loss would secure the No. 2 spot in the SEC for LSU for the third year in a row. Before LSU’s game, the NCAA will post its second top-16 seed reveal of the year at 5:30 p.m. It’s the last ranking before Selection Sunday.
Georgia’s top scorer this season is Javyn Nicholson who sits eighth in the SEC scoring charts with 16.7 points per game. Nicholson also leads the team in rebounds and is seventh in the SEC with nine rebounds per game.
Outside of Nicholson, Georgia doesn’t have any other players averaging over 10 points per game. Georgia has the worse scoring offense in the SEC and averages just 64.3 points per game this season.
Every player in LSU’s starting lineup is averaging over 10 points per game and LSU’s top scorer Angel Reese leads the SEC in points per game. Reese also leads the SEC in rebounds per game with 12.9. Aneesah Morrow, LSU’s second-best scorer, is fifth in the SEC with 16.8 points per game and sixth in the SEC in rebounds per game with 10.
Reese has 18 double-double on the season and Morrow has 16.
LSU leads the SEC in scoring offense and rebounds with 88.5 points per game and 47.4 rebounds per game. LSU trails only Iowa in points per game in DI women’s basketball. The Tigers also boast the SEC’s seconds best field goal percentage while Georgia has the 11th best.
LSU’s defense gives up 62.9 points per game while Georgia’s defense allows 66.3 points per game. During its six-game win streak, LSU has held its opponents below 68 points and below 39.9% shooting the ball.
“We’ve just been getting better by being on the floor every day with each other,” head coach Kim Mulkey said. “Practicing, correcting things, getting in the film room, experiencing the losses that make you just a little bit more hungry.”
Georgia can play close with good teams despite its low ranking in the SEC. The Bulldogs played No. 1 South Carolina close and held a seven-point lead at halftime against the Gamecocks. Georgia extended its lead to 37-28 in the third quarter before South Carolina eventually pulled away for a 70-56 win. Nicholson scored 27 points in that game.
The last time LSU and Georgia played in the regular season was in 2023. LSU needed a nine-point comeback in the fourth quarter to force overtime. LSU went on to win in overtime 82-77.
The two teams also met in the SEC Tournament last season. LSU came away with an easier 83-66 win in that game.
Tonight’s game will start at 8 p.m. and can be watched on ESPN 2. It is LSU’s final road game of the season.
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