Flau'jae Johnson, Aneesah Morrow's combined 28 pts not enough to help LSU as Tigers suffer bitter defeat to South Carolina

Despite Aneesah Morrow and Flau'jae Johnson's efforts, the LSU Tigers lost 66-56 against South Carolina on Friday. With this, Kim Mulkey has yet to win a game against Dawn Staley as the LSU coach.

The tip-off at the Colonial Life Arena was the first time the two teams met since the controversial 2024 SEC Championship in March 2024. Both teams started strong, combining for 43 points in the first 10 minutes.

Morrow scored six points and grabbed three offensive boards in this stretch. Johnson also added six alongside two steals. However, the game slowed as both coaches adjusted their playbooks. The second quarter saw five lead changes and multiple baskets to even the score on both sides of the court.

Flau'jae Johnson struggled throughout this stretch, scoring five points on 2-of-8 shooting. South Carolina held Aneesah Morrow scoreless in the same stretch as she missed all four of her attempts and garnered five rebounds. The Gamecocks gained a three-point lead at the half and built on it throughout the second half.

Aneesah Morrow posted nine points and eight rebounds in the second half, totaling the best performance of the contest. She finished with 15 points and 16 rebounds (nine offensive), her 93rd career double-double.

Flau'jae Johnson only scored two points in the second half on five attempts. She became passive in the last quarter as her only attempt at the stretch came out of desperation at the last minute. Johnson finished with 13 points and four rebounds on 6-of-18 shooting.

Dawn Staley specifically targeted Annesah Morrow and Flau'jae Johnson

In the post-game conference, Dawn Staley revealed that she asked her players to wear out Johnson and Aneesah Morrow on the offensive end of the floor, hoping that they hit their fatigue point earlier than usual.

It was the reason several players saw more court time than usual while Sania Feagin and Bree Hall played their season-high minutes.

"Keep pushing the ball down the floor keep, making them work hard for catches," Staley said (Timestamp: 11:00).

"They play six or seven players and you have to use that against them. They're that talented that if you allow them to rest on defense, they have more energy to take advantage of you on offense. So, yes, that was part of the game plan."

Overall, Aneesah Morrow was able to shake off Staley's schemes and continue her production. Her only struggles came in the second quarter. She is averaging 18.7 points and 14.2 rebounds this season.

Flau'jae Johnson's production declined heavily. She entered the game averaging 20.0 points and 6.1 rebounds on 49.2% shooting.