Flau'jae Johnson emphasizes what LSU must do in second half vs. South Carolina

The LSU Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks were battling it out on the hardwood on Friday night. The Tigers cooled off significantly at the end of the first half. They started the game 12-24 from the field, but cooled off to only hit 1 of 11 from the floor in the final minutes of the first half. LSU forward Aneesah Morrow picked up two fouls with 1:05 left in the second quarter. But she was dominant on the glass, grabbing eight rebounds in the first half to go along with six points. LSU superstar Flau’jae Johnson chipped in 11 points in the first half, as LSU trailed South Carolina 33-30 at the break.

Shortly before heading into the locker room, Johnson spoke with ESPN’s Holly Rowe. “They’re a great team. It’s not gonna a blowout. We’re a great team. It’s gonna be a game of runs, so we’ve just gotta stay poised and composed,” Johnson explained.

The 50-50 balls and the hustle balls. The Tigers have scrapped and gotten a lot of those in the first half. What’s the key to the second half? “All we have to do is the same thing. Just better execution. Our point guard sat out probably about four minutes to go. That’s crucial for us. She runs the show. So, gotta stay out of foul trouble,” Johnson finished.

The South Carolina Gamecocks and LSU Tigers battled it out on Friday night, in one of the fiercer rivalries in women’s college basketball. And the Gamecocks came out on top with a 66-56 victory.

Second-ranked South Carolina stretched their lead into the third quarter, and they were never threatened down the stretch, as the Gamecocks prevailed in a battle of two top five teams. South Carolina handed LSU their first loss of the season.

South Carolina improved to 19-1 overall and 7-0 in the SEC. LSU dropped to 20-1 overall and 5-1 in the SEC.