No. 7 LSU wins again without Reese as Morrow stars in 76-73 win against Virginia

Updated: Nov 26, 2023, 01:19 am

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands -- — No. 7 LSU won again without Angel Reese, using a terrific performance by Aneesah Morrow to beat Virginia 76-73 on Saturday in the Cayman Islands Classic.

Reese has missed four straight games, and there has been no word from the Tigers on when the All-American will return. She did not travel with the team to the Cayman Islands.

“That’s a deep subject. You ask at every game, you’re gonna get the same answer," coach Kim Mulkey said following LSU's win.

Morrow had 37 points and 16 rebounds in her second straight double-double. The DePaul transfer had 28 points and 10 boards in Friday's 99-65 victory over Niagara.

Hailey Van Lith scored 12 points for the Tigers (7-1), who survived a scare from the unranked Cavaliers. Flau’jae Johnson grabbed 15 rebounds.

“This is one of my prouder moments,” Mulkey said. "People say you coach to win championships — and it’s the truth — but it’s much more than that with me. That was a happy locker room, our fans were here and to do what we did against a very solid Virginia team that is a little bit more poised than we are right now when you’re moving kids to different positions and I thought we just persevered.”

LSU opened the fourth quarter with an 11-3 run. Morrow got it started with a three-point play, and she made it 69-59 when she converted a layup with 4:38 left.

Sam Brunelle missed a 3-point try for Virginia in the final seconds, and Morrow connected on two foul shots to help close it out for LSU.

Paris Clark had 19 points, seven rebounds and three steals for Virginia (4-2). Brunelle scored 15 points on five 3-pointers. The Cavaliers shot 29% (9 for 31) from beyond the arc.

WORTH WATCHING

LSU forward Sa’Myah Smith, who got hurt against Niagara, was spotted with crutches on her team's bench. Mulkey told reporters Friday night that she would have an MRI when the team returned to the U.S.

BIG PICTURE

LSU: With injuries and Reese’s absence occupying much of the attention surrounding the program, the Tigers came to the Cayman Classic and picked up a pair of wins. They have won seven straight since losing their season opener to Colorado.

“You’ve got some competitors in there,” Mulkey said about what she learned from her team’s performance at the Cayman Classic. “You’ve got some kids that don’t listen to outside noise. You’ve got some that just want to win. They came to LSU to do what they did here and they did it under unforeseen circumstances.”

Virginia: The underdog Cavaliers gave the defending national champions all they could handle. Their only two losses this season have come to ranked teams in LSU and 25th-ranked Oklahoma.

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