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LSU women's basketball throttles Florida, snaps two-game losing streak

cory diaz, lafayette daily advertiser
·2 min read
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BATON ROUGE – Hailey Van Lith knocked down a deep jumper then started down the Florida bench as she backpedaled up the court.

Last-Tear Poa drove to the basket with strength, where she finished through contact and flashed the "too small" celebration. Freshman center Aalyah Del Rosario converted a contested layup and let out a jubilant scream.

No. 9 LSU women's basketball jumped out on Florida early and cruised to a 106-66 victory inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center Sunday afternoon.

It remains to be seen if the Tigers (19-4, 6-3 SEC) have gotten their groove back but they displayed plenty of swag and confidence in a much-needed Southeastern Conference win that snapped a two-game losing streak.

Kim Mulkey plays different lineup for prolonged stretches. It paid off for LSU women's basketball against Florida

Mulkey told reporters Friday that she would be open to giving Van Lith a look at the off-ball guard position, predicated on Poa's ability to effectively operate the offense.

Against Florida, Mulkey gave it a shot. Poa got 17 minutes in the first half as Flau'jae Johnson went to the bench with a pair of fouls and Hailey Van Lith moved over to the wing. Poa ended with a season-high 27 minutes and the offense hummed, putting up 106 points off 50% shooting for the game.

That lineup was one of the more efficient combinations for the Tigers against the Gators, Poa led the team in plus-minus at halftime at 24.

Van Lith led the team in scoring with a season-high 21 points while Mikaylah Williams had 19, Aneesah Morrow with 18 points and 20 rebounds, and Angel Reese with 14 points and 10 boards.

LSU women's basketball's ability to get to free throw line helps build lead early

There were more than two minutes left in the opening quarter by the time LSU entered the bonus. By quarter's end, the Tigers have already attempted eight free throws, going 5-for-8, leading them to build a 13-point advantage.

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More time was left on the clock in the second period when LSU hit the bonus as it took a 26-point lead into halftime.

For the game, LSU garnered 34 free throws, going 25-for-34, while the Gator went 12-for-18.

Hailey Van Lith, Mikaylah Williams lead LSU's jumpshot show

The jumpers were falling for LSU against Florida.

Van Lith and Mikaylah Williams fired them early and often. The shots were going in and they along with Johnson and Aneesah Morrow — even Angel Reese knocked down a jumper — feasted off Florida's pick-and-roll and perimeter defense.

LSU hit 18 combined jumpers and 3-pointers.

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 throttles Florida, snaps two-game losing streak