No. 12 Vanderbilt Hands No. 5 LSU Second Straight SEC Loss In 65-61 Battle
Mulkey Speaks on LSU’s Fall in Nashville
LSU vs Vanderbilt in a top 15 matchup in Nashville was an opportunity for both sides to prove something, and this one turned into the kind of hard battle you expect in the SEC.
If you looked at the team comparison stats without seeing the score first, you might have thought LSU won. That was not the case. Vanderbilt pulled off a 65-61 upset over the Tigers, staying undefeated and handing LSU an 0-2 start in SEC play.
LSU came out of the Kentucky loss putting a lot of the focus on rebounding, and they actually fixed that part of the game. The Tigers dominated the glass and finished with a 48 to 28 rebounding advantage. The problem was the timing. LSU failed to secure the key rebounds late, and those extra chances helped Vanderbilt close the door.
Kim Mulkey pointed to both toughness and discipline in those moments.
“I’m very complimentary of the opponent when they make spectacular plays. We had 22 turnovers, and the majority of them came from upperclassmen. We out rebounded them by twenty something, but here’s the difference. They got 19 offensive boards, and many of those were late in the game when it was a possession game,” she said.
“We’re not talented enough to beat people like we have been, so possessions matter. When you let someone fly in there and get another offensive rebound, or you put them on the foul line early, that’s discipline. Some of it is inexperience, but if you’re a baller, you have to handle your job and trust your teammate will handle hers. We’re just not there yet.”
LSU also controlled the paint. The Tigers scored 30 points inside compared to Vanderbilt’s 16, and added 11 fast break points while Vanderbilt finished with none.
So where did Vanderbilt win the game? Turnovers and the three point line. The Commodores forced 22 turnovers and turned those into 15 points. They also hit 10 of 27 from three. LSU only attempted seven threes the entire game and made three of them.
Those two areas, plus more opportunities at the free throw line, were enough to tilt the game in Vanderbilt’s favor despite what LSU did well.
For LSU MiLaysia Fulwiley competed from start to finish. She finished with 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists, and you could see how involved she was in every area of the floor. Defensively, she stayed engaged, rebounded from the guard spot, and brought constant energy. Even with a few turnovers, it is clear just how important she is for LSU on both ends of the court. Sophomore Jada Richard did well for the Tigers, scoring 13 points as well.
Mikayla Blakes once again showed why she is the real deal. She scored 11 of Vanderbilt’s 15 first quarter points, went quiet for a stretch, then absolutely took over in the second half. Blakes poured in 15 points in the fourth quarter alone, including 3 for 5 from deep in the period, and finished with a game high 32.
Kim Mulkey pointed out how much LSU tried to make things difficult for her. Even watching, you could see that things were not easy for Blakes. That even further speaks to how she stays the course and works.
“Well, I thought we did a good job on her, actually. She’s going to be a volume shooter. She is going to shoot the ball, and she shot it 25 times. I thought we really worked hard and made it as difficult as we could for her to score. You know what you are getting with her. What really killed us was your freshman. That’s what hurt us. So, compliments to her. I just thought she got them over the hump and hit big shots for them.”
Freshman Aubrey Galvan stepped up, knocking down four threes and finishing with 14 points. She was big in the second half especially. Blakes needed another scoring threat beside her, and Galvan provided exactly that.
LSU missed their share of layups and shots that normally fall. Mulkey connected that to toughness more than size or matchups, and it’s clear that LSU has to find that edge quickly in order to survive SEC play.
“We missed a lot of layups today, and I didn’t go into the game thinking they were just bigger than we were. It’s an old term, but we’re not tough enough. We’re not tough enough. And toughness is something you either have or you don’t. We’re not tough enough, and that’s everybody in that locker room tonight. You’re not tough enough to make a play when we need it.”
The next few games will not get any easier for LSU, and toughness will be something that the Tigers must conquer quickly, and Mulkey expects moving forward.
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Featured Image Credit: LSU Athletics
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