No. 1 LSU women's basketball dispatches of Queens as it honors NCAA championship squad
All that shimmers is gold.
That certainly was the case at least for No. 1 LSU women's basketball on Thursday night inside Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The program honored the 2022-23 NCAA championship squad, giving them their title rings that features 102 diamonds for the number of points the team scored against Iowa in the national championship game and hung the national championship banner.
And in their gold unis, the Tigers capped the celebration with a win, downing Queens 112-55 in front of a raucous crowd.
LSU women's basketball attacks offensive boards
Kim Mulkey's teams have always been glass cleaners. And with the ascension of star Angel Reese last season, en route to LSU winning the NCAA title, it was assumed that if this season's team would do anything well — it would be rebound the ball.
In their season-opening loss to Colorado, the Tigers did not rebound well, one of several reasons that led to the surprising defeat.
After what Mulkey called what would be a "come to Jesus" film session with the team yesterday, it appears the message about rebounding was received. By halftime against Queens, LSU had 11 offensive boards, two shy of what it had the entire Colorado game.
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They finished with 13 offensive boards, converting those to 23 points, led by Reese's game-high 28 points and 14 rebounds while sophomore Sa'Myah Smith, who got the start Thursday. Smith finished with a career-high 21 points and eight boards.
Kim Mulkey's post players comes alive with Angel Reese, Sa'Myah Smith, Aneesah Morrow shining
LSU's top three scorers all play in the paint to some capacity. And that's the way Mulkey likes it.
Reese and Smith started alongside and played far more in sync with each other. Morrow played both levels, the wing and post. But when she played inside, she found some success with facing up her defense and taking her to the rack.
Morrow shook off a rough debut against Colorado with a nice outing versus Queens with 16 points and four rebounds.
Defending the arc a liability for LSU early in season
It was an issue in Las Vegas against Colorado earlier in the week. It appears that LSU's struggles in defending the 3-point shot is a pattern and a problem.
There were a multitude of instances where Hailey Van Lith, Mikaylah Williams, Flau'jae Johnson got lost amid backdoor screens and movement from Queens that freed up shooters. The Royals hit 4-of-8 three-poinrers in the first 10 minutes of the game and it was the second straight game where LSU allowed its opponent to make at least 10 triples.
Royals guard Nicole Gwynn went off, knocking down 8 3-pointers by halfway through the third quarter and had 26 points.
LSU will need to clean up the perimeter defense, or it will be a liability down the road against stiffer competition.
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 responds, dispatches of Queens in home opener
