Reese Records LSU Record 20th Straight Double-Double; Tigers def. Alabama, 89-51
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Angel Reese went for 14 points and 14 rebounds to record her 20th straight double-double to set the LSU record (breaking Sylvia Fowles’ of 19 straight) as the No. 4 Tigers (20-0, 8-0 SEC) cruised to a 89-51 win over Alabama (15-5, 4-3 SEC) Monday night in Coleman Coliseum. It was LSU’s largest win in Tuscaloosa ever.
“When you’re 20-0, you break a record of one of the greatest all-time players ever, not just at LSU, in Sylvia Fowles, but in the country and in the history of women’s basketball, she’s in wonderful company,” Coach Kim Mulkey said of Reese.
Reese’s double-double streak is the second longest in SEC history, trailing only South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston who recorded 27 in a row last season.
The Tigers are just the second LSU team to start 20-0, joining the 2015 LSU Softball team that started 25-0. Coach Mulkey now has at least 20 wins in all 23 years of her head coaching career.
“I thought we moved,” Coach Mulkey said. “I thought we communicated. You had four kids that scored in double figures. You had three kids that rebounded in double figures. We shot the ball really well. Jasmine Carson really, really lit it up from the three and it snowballed from there.”
LaDazhia Williams also had a double-double, her second in a row, with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Jasmine Carson shot 4-8 from three-point land and led LSU with 20 points. Alexis Morris finished with 17 and had a game-high 7 assists. Flau’jae Johnson had only six points, but she grabbed 10 rebounds.
Not only did Reese record her 20th straight double-double, but she guarded Alabama’s leading scorer and held Brittany Davis to 9 points. That got the Alabama offense out of sync as the Tigers held the Crimson Tide to its lowest point total of the season (51), its lowest field goal percentage (29.2-percent) and lowest three-point shooting percentage (18.5-percent).
The Tigers will not play again for another week as they are slated to face off against Tennessee next Monday on ESPN2 in the PMAC. LSU is asking fans to white-out the PMAC and is looking for the second sellout of Coach Mulkey’s LSU career.
With LSU making its first four free throws and a lay-in by Williams, the Tigers took a 6-3 lead early in the game. Alabama made it a one-point game, but Carson rattled in her first three of the game to give the Tigers an 11-7 lead at the media timeout. Johnson gave LSU a 17-11 lead after a crossover, pull-up jumper from the top of the key. Alabama’s JeAnna Cunnigham was assessed an intentional foul, sending Last-Tear Poa to the line with 10.5 seconds left in the first, making both and giving possession to the Tigers. Holding Alabama to 25-percent shooting and 11.1-percent from beyond the arc, LSU led after one, 19-11.
To open the second quarter, LSU got two defensive stops and Morris scored five in a row, nailing a three and a layup in transition to give the Tigers a 13-point lead and force an Alabama timeout. Morris found Williams on a pick-and-roll and then Reese converted an and-one as LSU extended its lead to 29-11. Morris gave LSU a 20-point lead as the Tigers continued its run of holding Alabama scoreless in the second quarter. The Crimson Tide scored their first bucket of the quarter at the 5:49 mark. Carson hit her second three at the 4:15 mark to give the Tigers a 36-15 lead and force the Crimson Tide to call another timeout. Carson hit her fourth three of the game as time expired for the half to give LSU a 47-18 lead going into the break.
LSU held Alabama, the best three-point shooting team in the SEC, to 11.8-percent from long range in the opening half. LSU on the other hand went 5-10 from deep in the opening half.
The Tigers picked up in the second half where they left off, extending their lead to 58-27 at the media timeout with athletic plays all over the court. Already with 13 points, Reese grabbed her 10th rebound to notch her 20th straight double-double to set the LSU record with 2:55 left in the third quarter. Poa hit a running layup as time expired in the quarter for LSU to go up, 69-38.
Poa picked up where she left off as she hit another driving layup to score the opening points of the fourth quarter. Alabama went on to score six straight points before the freshman, Sa’Myah Smith, scored her first bucket of the night. At the middle of the quarter LSU started an 11-0 run that lasted over 3:00 minutes. The run included WIlliams tenth rebound, securing a double-double, as well as Morris’ third trey of the game. The Tigers cruised to their 20th win of the season by a 89-51 decision over the Tide.