NASHVILLE – Angel Reese and Alexis Morris mixed for 44 factors because the No. 5 LSU girls’s basketball group (26-1, 14-1 SEC) took down Vanderbilt (12-17, 3-12 SEC) Thursday in Memorial Gymnasium by a rating of 82-63 to clinch second place within the SEC.

Reese, the six-time and reigning SEC Participant of the Week, scored 23 factors and hauled in 18 rebounds for her twenty sixth double-double of the season. Reese had a double-double by halftime for the tenth time this season.

Morris had 21 factors and led the group with 5 assists. LaDahzia Williams recorded 13 factors and 6-8 capturing and had 8 rebounds. Jasmine Carson made three threes within the win.

Vanderbilt’s Ciaja Harbison led the Commodores with 21 factors, 5 three-pointers, and 5 rebounds. The one different Commodore to achieve double figures was Jada Brown with ten.

The Tigers had been dominant within the paint, outscoring the Commodores, 46-16 on the within. Freshman ahead Sa’Myah Smith performed nicely off the bench for LSU, scoring 8 factors to contribute to LSU’s factors within the paint.

LSU jumped out to a 17-point lead on the half, however Vanderbilt went on a run early within the third quarter and received again inside six earlier than the Tigers prolonged the lead again out.

“I’m happy within the first half,” Coach Kim Mulkey stated. “Within the first half we had been speaking, speaking, serving to the helper, assist and recuperate – quite a lot of nice issues within the first half. Then you definitely come out within the third quarter and it is simply the other.”

The Tigers have one common season sport remaining as they’re slated to host Mississippi State on Sunday at 5 p.m. CT on the SEC Community earlier than gearing up for postseason motion. With LSU’s win on Thursday and Tennessee’s loss towards South Carolina, the Tigers have locked up the No. 2 spot within the convention for the second 12 months in a row. LSU would wish to win on Sunday and for South Carolina to fall towards Georgia to seize a share of the SEC title.

“Two years in a row we have completed second within the league behind the Nationwide Champion (South Carolina),” Coach Mulkey stated. “We have to acknowledge that. I would like to acknowledge that. Sometime our purpose is to complete as champions.”

Throughout Thursday’s sport, the NCAA Event Choice Committee made its closing Prime-16 seed reveal previous to Choice on March 12. The committee had the Tigers slated as a No. 2 seed as soon as once more.

Three pointers from Morris and Poa boosted LSU to an 11-6 lead 5 minutes into Thursday’s contest. LSU held the 5 level lead into the primary media timeout regardless of solely connecting on 1 of its final 7 photographs. Following the break the Tigers went on a 7-0 run and held Vanderbilt scoreless for 3 minutes. Sacha Washington hit a turnaround jumper within the closing seconds to make it a seven level sport and finish the opening quarter with LSU holding an 18-11 lead.

LSU made three triples and held the Commodores to 1-8 from deep within the first ten minutes of motion.

A minute into the second quarter a three-pointer from Ryanne Allen put Vanderbilt inside six. The Tigers responded with a 7-0 run in below a minute to take a 13-point lead over the Commodores. Simply earlier than the media timeout Carson hit again to again triples to enhance the LSU result in 17 with 4:38 to play earlier than halftime. The Tigers ended on an 11-4 run to make it 40-23 heading into halftime.

Reese completed the half with 10 factors and 10 boards to safe her twenty sixth double-double of the season. It additionally marked the tenth time she reached a double-double by halftime this season.

The Tigers shot 46-percent from the sphere and 46-percent from past the arc within the first 20 minutes of play. LSU out rebounded Vanderbilt by ten and scored half of its factors from inside the paint.

Carson made her third triple of the night time to open the third and provides LSU its first 20-point lead of the sport. Vanderbilt wouldn’t go away so simply because the Commodores went on a 7-0 run in the course of the quarter to get inside 9 of LSU. The Tiger would hit the 50-point mark simply earlier than the media timeout as Vandy trailed by 12. Again-to-back threes from the Commodores introduced the margin to 6 with just below 4 minutes left within the third. The Tigers responded with a 10-0 run to stretch their lead again to double figures and went into the fourth holding a 60-45 lead.

The Tigers had been outscored 22-20 within the third quarter and Vanderbilt pressured 7 LSU turnovers in comparison with the Commodores 2, each inside the final minute. Morris led the best way with 8 factors within the third, and Reese adopted with 7. The duo scored the group’s final 15 factors of the third quarter.

LSU carried its momentum into the ultimate quarter because it constructed upon its lead by opening with an 8-2 run to take a 21-point lead. Vanderbilt made 4 three-pointers within the fourth however had been unable to discover a cease to the Tiger’s offensive assault. Morris added one other 8 factors within the fourth and Reese and Williams every scored six. LSU went 4 of its final 4 from the sphere and completed with a 19-point victory.