Auburn secured its first SEC victory of the season in dazzling fashion. The Tigers upset No. 7 LSU, 67-62, at home in front of a record-breaking crowd on Sunday to snap LSU’s 16-game winning streak. It’s the second time in Auburn program history it has taken down a top-10 team.
Flau’jae Johnson hit a jumper off a steal to pull LSU within two, 64-62, with 1:39 remaining. Kaitlyn Duhon and Jamya Mingo-Young each secured big offensive rebounds as Auburn killed a full minute of clock on the other end. Mingo-Young secured a steal off Angel Reese and hit both free throws to secure the victory.
Each side of Tigers exchanged quarters in the first half, with Auburn winning the first 23-15 and LSU the second 22-11. It was a tight affair from there with seven lead changes as Auburn (12-5, 1-3 SEC) did enough to pull off a signature win. LSU is 16-2 overall and 3-1 in SEC play. The reigning champions hadn’t dropped a game since the season opener to Colorado.
Honesty Scott-Grayson scored a team-high 21 points with five rebounds and two assists. Mingo-Young added 13 with five assists and three rebounds. It was a team-wide effort as nine of 10 players who saw minutes scored at least a bucket. They kept up on the boards, 36-34, and four different players hit from 3.
Reese led all scorers with 24 points and 11 rebounds while Aneesah Morrow also had a double-double of 12 points and 15 rebounds. The Tigers controlled the paint points, 42-28.
How LSU lost to Auburn
LSU needed more from its backcourt and missed the big-game production of freshman guard Mikaylah Williams. Williams is averaging 16.9 ppg, ranking third on LSU behind Reese (19.8) and Morrow (18.6). She’s a 50% shooter and LSU’s best threat from range at 45.1% from beyond the arc. Her production from day 1 for LSU has been key, and crucial in replacing point guard Alexis Morris’ production on the 2022-23 title team.
She never found her shot against Auburn and finished with seven points shooting 30%. She missed the only 3-pointer she attempted and the team went 0-for-2 from distance. They’re not a top 3-point shooting team, but collectively hit about four per game. It was the first time this year LSU had not made a 3; its previous low was two in games against Virginia and Northwestern State.
Hailey Van Lith, the transfer from Louisville, also struggled and was 1-of-9 for three points. Johnson scored 12 points shooting 4-of-8, the best outing of the day for LSU. The Tigers couldn’t hit as well from the free throw line, either. They were 10 percentage points below their average (16-of-25) overall, going 6-of-10 in the fourth quarter. Offensively, they went 2-of-11 from the field in the final frame. LSU travels to Alabama for a Thursday game and hosts Arkansas on Sunday in Baton Rouge. The Tigers host No. 1 South Carolina (15-0, 3-0 SEC) on Thursday, Jan. 25 in a game that could decide the SEC title.
