Johnson scores 25 points to help No. 7 LSU rally past Murray State

BATON ROGUE, La. (AP) — Flau’jae Johnson had 25 points and seven rebounds and No. 7 LSU overcame a nine-point halftime deficit to beat Murray State 74-60 on Friday night.

The Tigers (4-0), who entered the game leading 85% of the time this season by double digits, trailed the Racers (1-2) for almost 18 1/2 minutes and by 13 points before pulling ahead early in the fourth quarter on Aneesah Morrow's layup off Johnson's assist.

Morrow scored nine of her had 10 points in the second half and had 13 rebounds. Mikaylah Williams added 15 points and eight rebounds.

Ava Learn had 18 points and 10 rebounds for Murray State. Halli Poock scored 15 points.

Takeaways

Murray State: The Racers, if for just one half, executed a blueprint on how to beat LSU by not committing turnovers and keeping the Tigers off the offensive boards.

LSU: The Tigers got an appropriate walk-up call after sleepwalking through the first half.

Key moment

In Kim Mulkey’s 108 previous games as LSU’s coach, no team had ever outscored the Tigers by 20 points in a quarter. Yet the Racers, after trailing 25-14 at the end of the first period, blistered LSU in the second quarter 32-12.

Key stat

In an 8 1/2-minute stretch starting late in the first quarter and ending just before halftime, the Tigers missed 16 of 18 attempts from the field.

Up next

LSU hosts Murray State on Friday night. Murray State is at Memphis. on Nov. 23.

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