Aneesah Morrow drops season high in Flau'jae Johnson's absence while Kim Mulkey is away to lead LSU vs Florida

Aneesah Morrow stepped up to the occasion to lead the No. 3-seeded LSU Tigers to a 101-87 win over the No. 11-seeded Florida Gators at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Friday. Morrow scored a season-high 36 points while adding 14 rebounds and two assists against Florida, as LSU did not have Flau'jae Johnson due to injury while coach Kim Mulkey was not present courtside due to a death in her family.

Mulkey was in the arena for the game but was on the Tigers' bench, a bit further down from the scorer’s table. Assistant coach Bob Starkey served as the acting head coach for LSU against the Gators.

Mulkey had arrived in Greenville later on Friday after spending some time with her family, as per ESPN's Carolyn Peck.

“Kim Mulkey got to Greenville today,” Peck said to open SEC Network broadcast. “On Monday, she got the news of an unexpected death in her family. She has been away, taking care of her family. She told me that she’s going to be on the bench, but she’s probably not going to be the Kim Mulkey that we’re used to seeing because she’s still dealing with that.

Since Mulkey has returned to LSU, she is likely to be reinstated as the team's head coach for the next game.

Johnson, meanwhile, has been ruled out for the entire SEC Tournament due to a lower-body injury.

Nonetheless, with her double-double against Florida, Aneesah Morrow showed that she can be relied upon in crunch games. The senior transferred to LSU in 2023 after previously playing two years at DePaul. Morrow will want to continue her impressive run heading into the deeper rounds of the SEC Tournament.

Aneesah Morrow and LSU will face Texas in SEC Tournament semifinal

LSU Tigers star Aneesah Morrow - Source: Getty

Aneesah Morrow and the LSU Tigers (28-4, 12-4) will face a stern test against No. 2-seed Texas (30-2, 15-1) in the SEC Tournament semifinals on Saturday. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. ET from Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

Fans can watch the LSU vs. Texas matchup on ESPN. Fans can also live stream it on FuboTV.