Tigers shine in exhibition win against Xavier, 114-53 – LSU

BATON ROUGE– No. 7 LSU dazzled Xavier (NO) 114-53 in its first appearance on Thursday night, with five Tigers scoring in double figures.

The Tigers were led in the contest by junior Flau'Jae Johnson, who posted a double-double of 30 points and 10 rebounds to secure the commanding victory. Johnson was an efficient 13-19 from the field and 2-4 from three-point range. Senior forward Aneesah Morrow was also in top form, recording his first double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Morrow was 7:15 from the field and had 5 steals and 4 assists, a team-high.

“(Flau'Jae) has been phenomenal and I think what you see from her is comfort,” Mulkey said. “She is a leader and that is because she has the necessary experience and puts in a lot of work. She and Morrow felt the most comfortable out there tonight. I’m not surprised any of them had double-doubles.”

Sophomore Mjracle Sheppard was successful in her debut with the Tigers, posting 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a game-high 6 steals, giving her plenty of energy off the bench. Junior forward Jersey Wolfenbarger added 12 points and freshman guard Jada Richard finished with 14 points, including 2-2 from distance.

“I feel like steals and defense are a team effort,” Sheppard said. If I wasn’t able to rely on my teammates and feed off of their energy, I wouldn’t be able to get those steals.”

LSU dominated the Gold Nuggets on defense, recording 18 steals and a block in the game and holding Xavier to 34 percent from the field on the night. Offensively, the Tigers were efficient on the night, scoring 58.2 points from the field. The Tigers defeated Xavier 46-28 and won the turnover battle 33-15.

LSU returns next Wednesday for its final matchup against LSU-Alexandria in the PMAC. The Tigers open their season on November 4th against Eastern Kentucky.

Johnson scored first on the night and made a layup after a steal that gave the Tigers their first points of the game.

“I feel like I play my best games when I get an early stop on defense,” Johnson said. “When I get the first steal, I’m good to go.”

The Tigers then responded with a Morrow jumper after LSU forced a Xavier turnover in the paint. Later in the quarter, Xavier rattled off four straight possessions that ended in points to take a 10-9 lead. LSU quickly regained the lead, with Johnson and Morrow Wolfenbarger scoring five minutes before the end of the first game to make it 20-10 for LSU.

After a timeout, the Tigers came into action, with Johnson hitting a mid-range shot on the first possession after the break. Richard also recorded her first collegiate points, with the Lafayette native draining a three-pointer just seconds after checking into the contest, increasing the Tigers' score to 25-12. Senior transfer Shayeann Day-Wilson scored her first points as a Tigress after hitting a pull-up jump shot from mid-range. LSU stifled Xavier on defense in the first period, forcing eight turnovers and holding opponents to 36 percent from the field and 25 percent from three-point range. On the other side of the ball, LSU was very efficient offensively in the first quarter as the Tigers shot an impressive 14-21 (66.7%) and 3-5 from the 3-point line to finish the first quarter 33-13 Lead.

Wolfenbarger opened the scoring for the Tigers in the second quarter, executing a slick post move and dropping the layup. Kailyn Gilbert then drained a pull-up jumper to extend LSU's lead to 35 and also scored her first points as a Tiger. After forcing a Xavier turnover, Sheppard Jada Richard got to the basket and scored a layup. Sheppard was active on defense, recording four steals in the quarter and harassing Xavier with tireless effort. The connection between Johnson and Morrow didn't miss a beat, Johnson connecting with Morrow on a game-changing pass that led to an easy LSU basket. After a near-turnover, center Aalyah Del Rosario rushed for the ball and made an impressive pass to Wolfenbarger for another LSU layup. Johnson then recorded three successful jumpers and two free throws in a short period of time, giving the sophomore 18 points at halftime. After two quarters, the Tigers led Xavier 68-19. At halftime, the Tigers won the rebounding and shooting battle, leading 23-12 on the glass and shooting 28-42 to Xavier's 6-22.

Wolfenbarger drew a shooting foul and drained both free throws to open the half for LSU. Xavier scored on two consecutive possessions, but the Tigers responded quickly with a Gilbert corner three-pointer. After Xavier went on a run that saw the Gold Nuggets take a 5-7 lead and score 17 points, Richard changed the momentum in the arena with an acrobatic 1-point layup, giving the freshman 11 points on the night. Morrow also recorded her 10th rebound of the game in the third quarter, recording her first double-double of the season. Xavier outscored LSU 23-21 in the third quarter, but the Tigers gained momentum at the end of the quarter after a three-pointer from Johnson in the corner.

Johnson kept her winning streak alive early in the fourth by nailing an offhand layup over a Xavier defender and draining a mid-range jumper just three possessions later, bringing her total points to 30 on the night.