Vanderbilt women's basketball sputters in first quarter vs LSU, loses fifth straight game
Vanderbilt women's basketball played close with LSU for almost three quarters. But in the first quarter of Thursday's game against the Tigers, the Commodores were outscored by 15, and it ultimately proved a deficit Vanderbilt couldn't overcome in the 85-62 loss at Memorial Gymnasium.
The Commodores (17-7, 4-6 SEC) dropped their fifth straight game, including their third straight at home, as their NCAA Tournament hopes continue to wane.
Iyana Moore led Vanderbilt offensively with 17 points and Khamil Pierre had a double-double while No. 12 LSU (20-4, 7-3) saw their entire starting five score in double digits.
Tough night for Cambridge
Three days after fouling out against Alabama, Jordyn Cambridge had a rough performance offensively. LSU shagged off Cambridge on the 3-point line. Cambridge was happy to shoot, but her triples didn't find the net, shooting just 1-for-10 from beyond the arc and 3-for-15 overall.
Neither team shot well from beyond the arc. Vanderbilt was slightly better but still hit just 6-for-32.
Pierre gets the start
Freshman Khamil Pierre was in the starting lineup for just the second time this season. Pierre replaced Justine Pissott in the lineup.
Pierre played relatively well as she picked up the double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, along with two blocks and two steals.
All 11 active players on Vanderbilt's roster saw time in the game, the third time that has happened during SEC play.
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LSU's bigs lead the way
LSU's starting bigs, Angel Reese and Aneesah Morrow, both average a double-double. Each of them picked up a double-double as Vanderbilt struggled to stop them around the basket or on the boards. Reese had 15 points and 16 rebounds while Morrow had 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Morrow also proved difficult to handle on the defensive end, as she racked up six steals.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt women's basketball falls to LSU for fifth straight loss
