LSU women's basketball outlasts Ole Miss to advance to SEC Tournament championship game
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Cheers shrieked out few and far between.
That's because LSU women's basketball found itself playing Ole Miss' brand of basketball.
Grimy. Slow. Murky and dysfunctional with no flash while working for every square inch on the court inside Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
Leading by two heading to the fourth quarter, Kim Mulkey gave her team one objective: give Angel Reese the ball and move out of the way. Reese posted up every trip and went to work. LSU's star junior forward scored nine points in the final period en route to leading the Tigers to the 75-67 win over Ole Miss.
Reese's 11th straight double-double, 21 points and 17 rebounds, propelled LSU to its first SEC Tournament championship game appearance since 2012, where Sunday it'll meet No. 1 South Carolina.
LSU women's basketball's Last-Tear Poa leaves game on stretcher
With 5:44 left in the game, Last-Tear Poa tried to take a charge on Zakiya Stephenson. She took a hard hit, and it's unclear exactly what happened. But after the play, Poa was visibly in pain.
Trainers and medical staff came to check on her while she was down. Initially, Poa tried to walk over to LSU's bench with assistance but couldn't make it and went back down to the floor. And that's when the stretcher was called for.
The television broadcast of the game reported that Poa was being transported to a local hospital for evaluation.
Foul trouble forces Kim Mulkey to go to bench
oa picked up three fouls in the first quarter, relegating her to the bench. Freshman Janae Kent, who played 19 minutes in the quarterfinals against Auburn, entered earlier than she has in some time for the Tigers.
Making matters strenuous for LSU during that stretch was the fact that its offense hadn't established a rhythm. Inserting a younger, inexperienced player on that big of a stage hindered the group's ability to get things going.
LSU muddled its way through the first half with a couple of different lineups, leading by only eight at the break while the Rebels shot 31% through two quarters. In the second half, Reese had to sit for extended minutes with three fouls as freshman center Aalyah Del Rosario saw more playing time.
LSU women's basketball plays some zone defense
Mulkey detests her teams playing zone. But with depth issues, with no Mikaylah Williams playing and all the bumps and bruises the team is contending with, Mulkey no choice for stretches against Ole Miss.
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While Mulkey may not like it, LSU found success with the 2-3 zone. Ole Miss was forced to take outside shots for the most part and didn't shoot well from the perimeter.
The mixes of defenses kept the Rebs off balance, which was key as the Tigers dealt with some offensive issues.
Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU/UL athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU women's basketball outlasts Ole Miss in SEC Tournament semifinal
