LSU women’s basketball made it through the first round of March Madness, but in their second matchup, they faced something Coach Kim Mulkey can’t teach: height.
However, the Tigers still pulled off a 66-42 win.
With this win, LSU moves onto the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2014. The Tigers will play No. 2 Utah, who knocked off No. 10 Princeton by a score of 63-56. LSU will face off with the Utes on Friday at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.
The Wolverines came in with lots of height. On their roster, they only have three players below six feet. On the other hand, LSU only has five players above six feet on its roster.
Angel Reese led LSU with yet another double-double performance. She finished with 25 points and 24 rebounds. She also added four assists, three steals, and six blocks.
“For me, I was hungry,” Reese said. “I didn’t want to let my seniors go out on a loss. It means more than me. It’s bigger than me.”
Not only did Reese thrive despite the height Michigan played with, but LaDazhia Williams showed out as well in double-double fashion. She added 10 points and 10 rebounds down low.
For Michigan, Laila Phelia led the team in scoring with 20 points and four rebounds. Cameron Williams scored eight for the Wolverines, and Chyra Evans added five.
“They [LSU] were physical and really limited our scoring, and didn’t allow us to get into rhythm,” Michigan head coach, Kim Barnes-Arico said. “But I’m proud of our team…it was great to be in this position.”
As Reese and Williams continued to rebound and score efficiently, Michigan continued to use their height to try and eliminate LSU’s postplay.
In addition, teams that run zone defenses have tripped LSU up throughout the season. When LSU narrowly escaped Georgia in overtime during the regular season, Georgia’s zone defense gave them trouble. Tennessee also ran a zone in the SEC Tournament that the Tigers had difficulty adjusting to.
“I think we grew up a lot,” Mulkey said. “I thought we were tough tonight. We were tough at all positions. And it started on the defensive end, it started on the boards, I just thought we were tough.”
With Michigan’s size being a challenge, they also ran a zone defense to go along with it. But the Tigers did better adjusting this time around, with less time to prepare. Reese and Williams worked to disrupt the zone down low, and distribute outside to the perimeter players when needed.
In March, the common mentality within teams in the NCAA Tournament is “survive and advance.”
LSU’s guards sparked, but were never able to ignite long-term. However, it was a step in the right direction for the perimeter players. Jasmine Carson hit three straight three-pointers in the second quarter but did not hit another for the rest of the game. She finished with nine points, shooting 3 for 6 from three.
Alexis Morris scored in double figures with 11 points. Kateri Poole and Flau’jae Johnson also played a huge defensive role for the Tigers.
The Tigers have been able to rely on their post-play for some time, but as they potentially get deeper in the tournament, the guards will have to find their rhythm. Because in the time they don’t have a rhythm, they will eventually find another team that will.
But the team has a little less than a week to get better at the things they’ve been struggling at.
Mulkey’s vision of progressively bringing the program back is in full effect. Last year, the Tigers fell short in the Round of 32 against Ohio State, who was also a No. 6 seed.
Her goal this season was to do a game better than they did the season before. She not only accomplished that goal in the SEC Tournament, but with this win, she now surpassed their postseason run last season.
“It’s not a championship, but it is definitely an accomplishment,” Mulkey said. “We have won one more game than we won last year. And you better believe that that’s big for us and rebuilding this program.”
While Mulkey wants her team to make it as far as they can, she recognizes that regardless of how far they continue to go, her job at bringing LSU to the top is far from finished.
But in order to get there, seasons like this one are most definitely important, and the team hopes there are more wins left in the tank.
The team played its last game of the season in the PMAC Sunday, but its mindset while in Greenville remains the same. The mentality remains simple; survive and advance.
“We’re just taking it one day at a time,” Williams said. “We’re very excited. We’re ready to start preparing for the next game, and we’re ready for whatever’s ahead of us.”
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