The Takeaways: LSU Falls Short to South Carolina 76-70 in Instant Classic

No. 9 LSU battled until the clock hit zero in an instant classic in Baton Rouge with No. 1 South Carolina coming out on top 76-70 in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

In front of a sold out crowd, Kim Mulkey’s crew fought until the final buzzer with Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks getting it done down the stretch.

The Instant Takeaways from Baton Rouge:

The One-Two Punch: Angel Reese and Aneesah Morrow Shine

LSU forward Aneesah Morrow was shot out of a cannon to start things off in Baton Rouge with a pair of threes, but it wasn’t just her outside game that was rolling.

Morrow did what she does best from the midrange while providing the Tigers with second chance buckets inside. A true three-level scorer, Morrow proved her offensive value on Thursday.

Alongside her in the frontcourt, Angel Reese stole the show in the third quarter for LSU. When South Carolina came crawling back, the All-American turned up the heat on both ends of the floor to get the PMAC crowd back into it.

A pair of blocks in the third period with timely buckets provided LSU with the spark they needed to keep the intensity up, but fouling out with four minutes remaining crushed the Tigers late.

For Morrow and Reese, the duo combined for 31 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks for the Tigers. The message from Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks was clear: Force the ball inside and LSU’s frontcourt rose to the occasion.

Defensive Intensity: Both Programs Rise to the Occasion

It was a given both programs would rise to the occasion on Thursday night in Baton Rouge. A Top 10 showdown on ESPN with College Gameday in attendance, it was as big of a contest as women’s hoops will have all season.

Factor in Kim Mulkey and Dawn Staley clashing once again and both teams were dialed in for the battle.

The Tigers and Gamecocks were swarming on both ends of the floor for all 40 minutes, but the defensive intensity stole the show in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

For LSU, it was Reese, Morrow and five-star freshman Aalyah Del Rosario controlling the paint, totaling seven blocks between the trio of bigs.

For Del Rosario, she provided a spark for LSU that they’ve been searching for off the bench all season. In the second quarter, she came in and added three blocks for the Tigers with four boards.

When it came to South Carolina’s efforts, the Gamecocks forced 12 turnovers with six steals led by junior guard Bree Hall with three of her own. With LSU up two with six minutes remaining, she turned up the heat when her program needed her most.

Battle Down the Stretch in Baton Rouge: Gamecocks Prevail

There was no shortage of highlight reel, ear-shattering plays down the stretch in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Thursday night.

It was back-and-forth all night with the Gamecocks ultimately falling back on veteran guard Bree Hall to take the biggest shot of the night with under a minute remaining.

On a kick out from Kamilla Cardoso, Hall knocked down a triple to give South Carolina the lead 73-70 with 57 seconds left, propelling Staley’s crew to a huge win in Baton Rouge.

The veteran leadership of South Carolina got it done on the road in front of a sold out LSU crowd.

For Hall, she did what she does best and that's take the big shots when this program needs them most to give the Gamecocks a huge 76-70 win.

The Numbers:

LSU

Angel Reese: 15 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists

Aneesah Morrow: 16 points, 10 rebounds

Hailey Van Lith: 13 points, 3 assists

Mikaylah Williams: 12 points, 4 rebounds

Flau’jae Johnson: 10 points, 3 rebounds

Aalyah Del Rosario: 2 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks

South Carolina

Bree Hall: 10 points, 5 rebounds

Te-Hina PaoPao: 12 points, 6 assists

Kamilla Cardoso: 11 points, 8 rebounds

Chloe Kitts: 14 points, 3 rebounds

Raven Johnson: 13 points, 9 rebounds

No. 9 LSU will return to action on Monday against Mississippi State as they look to bounce back against a key SEC foe.