COLUMBIA -- LSU forgot how to miss.
The No. 5 Tigers entered their SEC game with the Missouri Tigers at Mizzou Arena shooting 49.5 percent overall and 35.2 percent from 3-point range. Thursday was a different story.
LSU connected on 27-of-50 shots (54 percent) overall and 10-of-15 (66.7 percent) of its 3s to build a 77-57 win against Missouri, staying undefeated overall and in SEC play.
“They hit their shots, we didn’t. It’s as simple as that,” Missouri coach Robin Pingeton said.
Wooden Award watchlist member Angel Reese led the way for LSU. The sixth-leading scorer and top overall rebounder in the country totaled 20 points and 12 rebounds with most of that coming in the fourth quarter after entering the final period with just six points and seven boards.
“Angel Reese is a special player,” Pingeton said. “One of the best in the country.”
Alexis Morris added 24 points and five assists for LSU off the bench on 7-of-9 shooting, including 5-of-5 from 3.
Both teams started slow, combining to hit only three of the first 10 shots in the game. The attempts began falling for LSU as the visiting Tigers built a 9-2 lead while Missouri missed seven consecutive shots.
Sara-Rose Smith kept Missouri’s scoreless streak from hitting five minutes when she knocked down two free throws at the 3:07 mark, but LSU connected on five of its last seven attempts to go ahead 19-7 after one quarter.
“We’ve got to figure out what’s going on in that first quarter,” Pingeton said. “Our last couple games, we started really slow. … We continue to dig ourselves such big holes that it’s hard to battle through it.”
LSU maintained at least an 11-point lead through the second quarter, led by Morris connecting on three of her five 3s and totaling 14 first-half points, to take a 37-21 lead into halftime.
Missouri connected on 50 percent of its attempts overall and from 3 in the quarter, but could not cut the lead as LSU hit 6-of-12 overall and 4-of-6 from 3.
“In the first half, we didn’t have a lot of movement,” Pingeton said. “We were stagnant at times. … The way teams defend in this league, scoring is really hard.”
Missouri came out of the break and made it look like LSU might leave Mizzou Arena with its first loss.
The home Tigers cut the lead to 37-25 after Lauren Hanson turned a steal into a layup, then Haley Troup connected on a fast-break layup to cut LSU’s advantage to 39-29.
Hansen, who scored 10 of her team-high 22 points in the third quarter, then connected on a 3 after another LSU turnover, once of its seven in the 10-minute period, to cut the advantage to 42-36.
Jayla Kelly then connected on two free throws at the 4:41 mark to extend Missouri’s run to 9-0 and cut LSU’s lead to 42-38, the closest Missouri had been since the 6:21 mark of the first quarter.
“I think the key for us is to let defense give us our energy,” Hansen said. “Especially when shots aren’t falling. We know they’re going to fall eventually if we keep getting good looks and keep trusting our offense and keep trusting each other. … Eventually those shots are going to go in because you put the work in.”
But after Missouri connected on five consecutive shots to create the run, the lid went back on the rim and the black and gold missed its next six attempts while LSU extended back to a 51-38 lead with 2:10 left in the third.
“I thought we had some really good looks,” Pingeton said. “If we hit a couple of those, it potentially is a different game.”
LSU ended the quarter on a 14-3 run, building a 56-41 lead at the final break.
Missouri never got back within 10 as LSU extended to its final 20-point advantage, tied for the biggest of the night.
“Obviously, I’m disappointed,” Pingeton said. “I’m proud of our players, they put up a good battle. I love the grittiness, especially in the third quarter. At the end of the day, that’s what you want to see.”
Missouri connected on 20-of-54 (37 percent) of its shots overall, 6-of-23 (26.1 percent) from deep and 11-of-12 (91.7 percent) from the free throw line.
Mama Dembele added a season-high 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds for the Tigers.
Missouri (14-4, 3-2 SEC) will continue a brutal portion of the SEC schedule with a matchup at South Carolina at noon Sunday (ESPN) before hosting Tennessee on Jan. 22.
LSU (17-0, 5-0) will host Auburn at 2 p.m. Sunday.