LSU’s 23-game winning streak coinciding with Angel Reese’s string of consecutive double-doubles came to an emphatic halt Sunday afternoon.
Too tall, too talented, too physical and too athletic defending national champion and No. 1 ranked South Carolina extended its winning streak to 31 games in a resounding 88-64 SEC victory over the third-ranked visiting Lady Tigers in Columbia, S.C.
A sellout crowd of more than 18,000 watched the host Gamecocks (25-0 overall, 12-0 SEC) jump to a 16-point lead in the game’s opening five minutes before South Carolina used its superior bench to wear out LSU (23-1, 11-1 SEC).
“How could you not rise to the challenge of playing before 18,000 people?” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. “We don’t like to lose, and we don’t lose at home very often.”
South Carolina Kamill Cardoso (18 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocked shots) and two-time national Player of the Year Aliyah Boston (14 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocked shots) combined for 32 points, 22 rebounds and 6 blocked shots.
They were too much for Reese to handle alone. She finished with 16 points on 5 of 15 field goal shooting with 4 rebounds.
LSU guard Alexis Morris had a game-high 23 points along with 6 rebounds, keeping the Lady Tigers within striking distance until the final 4½ minutes of the third quarter.
"I got to get a true gauge of where we are and what we need to do to get where South Carolina is," LSU second-year head coach Kim Mulkey said. "We played catch-up from the (opening) tip.
"They just have too many weapons we don't have. They have too much talent. They have too much depth. They have too much size. They have experience. They don't get rattled. I don't see anybody beating them. It's South Carolina and then everybody else."
South Carolina and LSU entered the game ranked No. 1 and No. 2 or vice-versa in 14 of the SEC’s 21 statistical categories. But the Gamecocks clearly showed why they are now the lone remaining unbeaten team this season in women’s Division 1 play.
LSU gave up a season-high in points, rebounds (43) and field goal defense percentage as South Carolina made 57.1 percent (35 of 61) of its shots.
LSU was fortunate to trail 42-32 at the half, considering the Lady Tigers started in an 18-2 deficit after the game’s first 5:15.
South Carolina made its first 8 of 9 shots and LSU missed its first 6 of 7 before Morris shook off an early knee injury and powered the Lady Tigers on an 11-1 rally that cut the Gamecocks’ advantage to 19-13 with 2:07 left in the first quarter.
South Carolina closed the opening period on a 5-1 run for a 24-15 lead entering the second quarter.
Because Reese was saddled with two fouls for most of the opening half, Morris was solely responsible for keeping LSU from disappearing.
She scored 15 points – almost half of the Lady Tigers’ total – to try and compensate for Reese’s worst half of the season (3 points on 1 of 6 shooting and 1 rebound).
LSU reduced South Carolina’s lead to 5 points at 45-40 with 7:20 left in the third quarter on a Reese layup.
The Lady Tigers still trailed by 7 points at 51-44 with 4:23 remaining in the period before the Gamecocks’ inside game took over.
South Carolina’s closing 17-4 burst for a 64-48 cushion exiting the third quarter was keyed by the Gamecocks’ defense. Reese missed her final four shots of period, two of them blocked by Boston.
LSU returns home for a Thursday 8 p.m. tipoff vs. Ole Miss and Mulkey expects to her team to bounce back with a vengeance.
"It was quite a learning experience today and we're not going to leave out of here just devastated," Mulkey said. "Competitors don't like to lose. I hope we get on that plane (back to Baton Rouge) thinking about the next time I'm in that situation. There's no substitute for experience."
