Mikaylah Williams scores 22, No. 5 LSU stays unbeaten with 80-63 win at Florida in front of Shaq
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Mikaylah Williams scored 22 points, Aneesah Morrow had her 18th double-double of the season and No. 5 LSU stayed unbeaten with an 80-63 victory at Florida on Sunday in front of Tigers great Shaquille O’Neal.
Flau’Jae Johnson chipped in 19 points for the Tigers (20-0, 5-0 Southeastern Conference), who will carry their second-best start in program history into a much-anticipated matchup at second-ranked South Carolina on Thursday.
O’Neal was on hand to watch his daughter, Florida freshman Me’Arah O’Neal. She finished with no points, seven rebounds and four fouls.
LSU trailed by six after the first quarter but responded by outscoring Florida (11-9, 2-4) by 10 points in the second and seven in the third to build a double-digit advantage the Gators never found a way to whittle down. The Tigers turned it into a lopsided contest by scoring the first 17 points of the fourth.
Morrow finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds for her 92nd career double-double, tying her with former Oregon star Sabrina Ionescu for the second most (behind former Oklahoma standout Courtney Paris) in NCAA women’s history.
Liv McGill led the Gators with 21 points.
Takeaways
LSU: The Tigers have been good all season, but the real test will come against the Gamecocks. It will be the third ranked opponent for LSU and by far the highest ranked.
Florida: The Gators kept it relatively close in the first half and outrebounded LSU 44-38. But little else went Florida’s way.
Key moment
Shaq was the biggest draw in the building, with LSU and Florida fans clamoring for his attention for pictures throughout. He left late in the fourth, with the game long decided.
Key stat
Florida finished with 24 turnovers, most of them caused by the Tigers.
Up next
LSU plays at South Carolina on Thursday; Florida plays at Auburn next Sunday.
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