Angel Reese has 17 points, 15 rebounds as No. 9 LSU overwhelms Georgia, 80-54

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ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Angel Reese added another double-double to her season-long list with 17 points and 15 rebounds and No. 9 Louisiana State beat Georgia 80-54 on Thursday night for its seventh straight win.

LSU (25-4, 12-3 Southeastern Conference) was dominant in the matchup of the league’s No. 1 and No. 14 scoring offenses. The Tigers, who average 88.5 points per game, stretched their lead to 20 points late in the first half over Georgia, which averages 64.3 points.

Halley Van Lith sank four 3-pointers and led the Tigers with 18 points.

With the win, LSU clinched the No. 2 seed, behind top-ranked South Carolina, in the SEC Tournament to be played March 6-10 in Greenville, S.C.

Javyn Nicholson led Georgia (12-16, 3-12) with 17 points.

LSU was a No. 3 seed and No. 9 overall in the NCAA women’s basketball selection committee’s latest projection of NCAA Tournament top 16 seeds on Thursday.

Coach Kim Mulkey’s Tigers played against Georgia as if motivated to improve to a No. 2 seed in the last week of the regular season and the SEC tournament. Mulkey said her focus was on next week’s SEC tournament, not the committee’s latest projected seeds.

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“No, we’re trying to finish in second place in the league,” Mulkey said.

“That reveal is not going to stay the same. Too many people are going to get beat. … I sure am glad we’re in the 16.”

The Tigers pulled away by outscoring the Lady Bulldogs 21-8 in the second period.

Reese caught a long bullet pass from Mikaylah Williams for an easy layup that gave the Tigers their first 20-point lead at 41-21 late in the first half.

“Unbelievable baseball pass,” Mulkey said. “It was just beautiful.”

Another layup from Reese pushed the halftime advantage to 45-23.

The Tigers’ biggest lead was 32 points, 56-24, early in the second half. De’Mauri Flournoy sank two 3-pointers in a 16-0 run for the Lady Bulldogs that included the final 14 points of the third period, trimming LSU’s lead to 60-47.

Reese posted her 19th double-double of the season. Aneesah Morrow recorded her 17th double-double, giving LSU the SEC’s two top totals, with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

“Those are the two best posts in the league,” Nicholson said. “The numbers are the numbers.”

Nicholson, who drew much of the defensive responsibility on Reese, said the LSU star “is really skilled at using her body.”

Added Nicholson of Reese: “She’s going to keep trying. She has a motor that’s out of this league.”

Reese began the night leading the SEC with her averages of 19.1 points and 12.9 rebounds after also leading the league in each category last season. The junior is set to become only the second player to lead the league in scoring and rebounds in back to back seasons, following Vanderbilt’s Wendy Scholtens in 1989 and 1990.

The attendance of 7,406 was Georgia’s largest crowd since 2012.

BIG PICTURE

LSU: Led by Reese and Morrow, the Tigers were dominant near the basket, outscoring Georgia 38-8 in points in the paint. … Reese had a first-quarter scare when she appeared to turn her right ankle while falling to the court. Reese left the game and was still on the bench for the start of the second period before returning and showing no sign of an injury.

Georgia: Asia Avinger scored 10 first-quarter points, while making each of her two 3-pointers. The Lady Bulldogs had only two other scorers in the period. Avinger’s last basket of the period pulled Georgia to within two points at 17-15 before the Tigers scored the final seven points of the period.