Instant Takeaways: No. 5 LSU Women's Basketball Falls 65-58 to No. 3 Texas Longhorns

No. 5 LSU (25-2, 11-2) dropped a critical Southeastern Conference clash to the No. 3 ranked Texas Longhorns (26-2, 12-1) 65-58 on Sunday afternoon in Austin (Tex.).

Kim Mulkey and Co. took a commanding 12-point lead in the second half with all momentum shifting LSU's way, but a late-game push from the Longhorns elevated Texas down the stretch.

Texas and South Carolina now sit atop the Southeastern Conference standings in a two-way tie for the top slot.

What went wrong for the LSU Tigers on Sunday afternoon in the Lone Star State?

The Instant Takeaways:

Longhorns Control the Second Half, Bounce Back Strong

Mulkey and Co. went into halftime with a 28-19 lead behind the program's "Big 3" of Aneesah Morrrow, Flau'Jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams paving the way in the scoring column.

With all momentum shifting LSU's way going into the break, the Tigers had a chance to break things open in the final two frames, but Texas' weaponry was too much for LSU.

Led by Madison Booker's 16 points, Taylor Jones' 12 points and Rori Harmon's 10 points, the three key components led the comeback for the Longhorns in crunch time.

Texas scored 46 points in the second half, outscored LSU 21-9 in the final quarter and brushed off a 12-point deficit in the final two quarters to come out victorious.

LSU's defensive intensity stole the show throughout the first two and a half quarters after forcing double-digit turnovers, but the Longhorns' battle-tested crew utilized experience down the stretch.

Now, Texas has earned their third AP Top-10 victory of the season with wins over both South Carolina and LSU under their belt.

Aneesah Morrow's Monstrous Day Too Little

LSU forward Aneesah Morrow came into Sunday’s Top-5 clash averaging 18.6 points per game while leading the country with 14.2 rebounds per game and 21 double-doubles.

The forceful post presence has made her impact felt game in and game out, but Sunday against the Texas Longhorns quickly became one of her most impressive performances.

Morrow went into halftime with 15 rebounds and near double-figures in the scoring column with LSU leading going into the break, but timely misses in the fourth frame plagued the Tigers.

The Player of the Year candidate wrapped up the Southeastern Conference matchup with 15 points, 20 rebonds and three steals on 6-for-15 from the field.

It was an impressive showing from the heartbeat of the LSU squad, but proved to be "too little" down the stretch. Morrow's dominance continues being felt for LSU with another learning experience under the program's belt.

LSU's "Big 3" Shines, Limited Bench Production Plagues the Program

LSU has received significant production from the "Big 3" of Morrow, Flau'Jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams all season.

The trio of bucket-getters has been dominant all season with Sunday's Top-5 clash proving to be no different.

Morrow ended the day with 15 points and 20 rebounds, Johnson totaled 16 points and two steals, and Williams logged 18 points of her own.

LSU's "Big 3" combined for 49 of the team's 58 points on Sunday night in the Moody Center, but limited prouction from the bench plagued the Tigers down the stretch.

It isn't new for Mulkey's squad and she's alluded to that this season, specifically following a win over the Missouri Tigers in early February.

"Our bench was very productive and that's been a challenge," Mulkey said following LSU's win over Missouri. "Everyone knows about the three main ones [Morrow, Johnson and Williams], but we have other good players, so I need more production from the bench. Mjracle, [Last-Tear] Poa, Jada [Richard] and even KG [Kailyn Gilbert] late gave us something tonight."

Against Missouri, LSU received production from the reserves, but the lack of impactful minutes from the second-team proved to be a thorn in LSU's side down the stretch.

Sa'Myah Smith tallied three points with an impactful nine rebounds while Shayeann Day-Wilson, Kailyn Gilbert and Last-Tear Poa combined for only seven total points on 1-for-8 from the field.

LSU will return to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Thursday night against the Georgia Bulldogs with tipoff set for 8 p.m. CT.

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