CHICAGO — In a thrilling homecoming for Aneesah Morrow, who tallied 19 points and 13 rebounds, the No. 5 ranked LSU Tigers overcame the Illinois Chicago Flames with a score of 91-73 on Thursday night.
Flau’Jae Johnson shone brightly for LSU, contributing 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Mikaylah Williams added 17 points and provided seven assists. The Tigers, maintaining their unbeaten record at 14-0, pulled away decisively in the third quarter, staging a 12-0 run that transformed an eight-point game into a comfortable lead against UIC, who now sits at 2-6 on the season.
Morrow not only excelled on the court but also celebrated an important milestone as her jersey number 24 was retired at Simeon Career Academy, the same institution that produced former NBA superstar Derrick Rose. The 6-foot-1 forward is recognized for her exceptional skills, having previously played two years at DePaul before transferring to LSU to pursue national championship aspirations.
Receiving a heartfelt welcome from a crowd of 4,322— the largest attendance for a women’s basketball game ever at UIC—Morrow had at least 40 family members in attendance. Although she began the game with six misses out of her first seven attempts, she finished strong, shooting 8 of 16 for the night.
On the UIC side, Arin Freeman was the top scorer with 19 points, and teammate Makiyah Williams added 15 points to the effort.
### Takeaways
**LSU:** The Tigers demonstrated their elite status in the nation, despite some initial resistance from the Flames.
**UIC:** The Flames can find some solace in their competitive showing against a top-tier team for over half of the game.
### Key Moment
A pivotal moment came when Last-Tear Poa converted a drive into a three-point play, kickstarting LSU’s 12-0 surge early in the third quarter. Johnson contributed six points during this stretch, including a crucial tip-in that pushed the Tigers to a 53-33 advantage with just under six minutes remaining in that quarter.
### Key Stat
LSU’s performance highlighted their dominance, outscoring UIC 28-10 in points off turnovers and securing a significant rebounding edge, finishing 40-29.
### Up Next
LSU will host Albany on December 29, preparing to start SEC play against Arkansas a few days later. UIC, meanwhile, will face Ohio on Sunday.