Morrow, Johnson Record Big Game In LSU’s 117-44 Win Over CSU

Flau'Jae Johnson, LSU
PHOTO by LSU Athletics

 Flau’Jae Johnson surpassed 1,000 career points and Aneesah Morrow had 21 points with 20 rebounds as No. 7 LSU (3-0) took down Charleston Southern (0-4), 117-44, Tuesday morning in the PMAC at the annual field trip game.

“It was a good day,” Coach Kim Mulkey said. “It was a great deal with the students and the appreciation I have for teachers and principals that make the effort to be here today at an 11 o’clock game.”

Johnson, playing in her 75th career game, entered the contest needing 18 points to reach 1,000 points in her LSU career. Johnson accomplished the feat in the fourth quarter, after dropping a layup on the fastbreak to finish with 18 points along with 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season.

Morrow’s performance was the 27th 20/20 game in LSU history. Morrow became the sixth player in program history to go for 20 and 20. Tuesday was Morrow’s fourth career 20/20 game, but first at LSU.

“Rebounding is not easy,” Morrow said. “It is about position and timing. It is about keeping your feet moving, as well. We work on that every day in practice. We want to get as many rebounds as we possibly can and we want to shoot as efficiently from the floor as we can.”

LSU also saw key performances from Mikaylah Williams and Kailyn Gilbert. Williams scored 25 points on 10-16 shooting with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Gilbert came just shy of a triple-double as she posted 14 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists with 0 assists.

Jada Richard recorded the first double-digit scoring game of her college career with 11 points on 4-4 from the field with 3 three-pointers.

LSU led the rebounding battle, 66-23 as six Tigers had at least 6 rebounds. LSU also dished out 23 assists with four players recording at least 4 assists.

Charleston Southern jumped out to a 5-0 lead early in the first, but Morrow stopped a potential run with a jumper from the short corner. Johnson then found Smith in the paint for the hook shot, and Williams made a layup on the next possession to give LSU a 6-5 lead. After a few defensive stops from the Tigers, Johnson made an impressive pass to Williams on the wing that led to a three pointer for LSU. Johnson got her name in the scoring column with a corner jump shot immediately out of the official timeout. LSU ended the quarter on a 24-4 run as Williams led the Tigers with 8 points in the period. LSU was effective from the field in the first, as seven Tigers found their way to the basket for a score to give LSU a 24-9 lead after one. 

Williams kept her shooting streak alive, as the sophomore dropped a three pointer early in the second to extend the LSU lead. Richard got her name on the score sheet with a three pointer after a Kailyn Gilbert rebound and pass. Jersey Wolfenbarger then converted an and-1 layup to give the Tigers a 23 point advantage over CSU. Morrow continued her dominance in the paint, earning a tough layup off the entry pass from Williams. Morrow earned her 10th rebound of the game in only two quarters, which was enough to register her second double-double of the season. Gilbert continued her strong second quarter performance with a steal and score. At the half, LSU led the Buccaneers 56-22 and led the rebounding battle 34-9. Williams paced the Tigers in the first half, scoring 16 points on 6-10 shooting with 3 three pointers in two quarters. 

Smith and Richard got LSU started in the second half, with both dropping layups to put more pressure on Charleston Southern. Johnson converted the tough and-1 layup off the fastbreak to boost the energy in the PMAC. After a few offensive rebounds, Johnson stepped into a mid-range jumper and cashed it. Gilbert ran the offense efficiently in the third, dropping back-to-back assists to Morrow and Williams on the fastbreak. The Tigers outscored the Buccaneers 30-6 in the second half, and held Charleston Southern to 3-13 from the field and 0-6 from three point range. At the end of the third quarter, LSU held a 86-28 advantage. 

Johnson earned her 1,000th point of her career on a fastbreak layup to begin the fourth. After Johnson’s layup, Williams took aim at the basket and knocked down a jump shot. Morrow earned her 20th rebound of the game in the fourth quarter which gave the star forward her first 20 point, 20 rebound game of the season. After being fouled, Gilbert converted two free throws for LSU to eclipse 100 points for the first time in the season. In a game where many Tigers saw success, Johnson stacked onto the lights-out performance. The standout junior earned her 10th rebound of the game to give her the first double-double of the young season. The Tigers closed out the game with a resounding win, and earned a 117-44 final score.

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