Defending champ LSU gets tough test, but prevails over UVA, 76-73

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

In a game that saw 14 lead changes and 12 tied scores, No. 7 LSU came up victorious, 76-73, over Virginia at the Cavaliers’ second and final game of the Cayman Islands Classic Saturday night.

Paris Clark scored a team-high 19 points, including 15 in the first half, and had 3 steals. Sam Brunelle (15 pts, 5 for 11 from downtown) and Yonta Vaughn (13 pts, 5 for 8 field goals, 7 assists) also scored in double figures for the Hoos.

Vaughn, who came off the bench in both of UVA’s two games at the event, was named to the All-Tournament team after tying for a team-best 13.5 points per game. Vaughn also shot 52.6 percent from the field and 58.3 from 3-point range, and averaged 5.5 assists.

LSU forward Aneesah Morrow finished with a game-high 37 points on 15-of-25 shooting and pulled down 16 rebounds after playing the entirety of Saturday’s game.

HOW IT HAPPENED 

LSU (7-1) led 21-18 at the end of the first period, which saw four lead changes and five tied scores. Clark tallied 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting and had three steals. The Cavaliers (4-2) were 0 for 5 from 3-point range, but shot 44 percent overall in the first stanza.

Back-to-back triples from Vaughn put the Hoos up 34-32 at the media timeout. After a pair of baskets by Clark and Vaughn, the two teams were knotted 38-38 at the half. UVA had 14 points off the bench at the half, while LSU had 2. Twenty of Morrow’s 37 points came in the first 20 minutes of play.

With three made 3s, Brunelle tallied 9 of her 15 points in quarter No. 3. UVA held the Tigers scoreless from beyond in the arc in the period, but LSU shot 47 percent and registered 14 points in the paint. The Cavaliers’ last lead of the game came with 1:54 left in the third after a pair of made free throws by Clark.

LSU clung to a 58-56 advantage heading into the fourth, but the Tigers stretched their lead to 10 [69-59] with 4:38 to play, the largest lead by either team at any point during Saturday’s game. Six different Cavaliers found the bottom of the net in the fourth to help UVA shrink the LSU lead down to two [73-71] with just under 1:00 to play. The Hoos missed their last five field goals down the stretch and LSU made eight of its nine attempts at the charity stripe quarter to help seal the win.

NOTES 

• Virginia is now 15-2 in non-conference games under head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton.
• Yonta Vaughn was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 13.5 points per game and 5.5 assists per game. In Tuesday’s win over Tulane, she set a career high with 14 points.
• Clark registered a career high with 19 points on 7-of-17 shooting in Saturday’s game. Her 19 points were also a team high.

UP NEXT

The Cavaliers return home to John Paul Jones Arena on Thursday to host Missouri in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. on ACC Network.