"You really can't stop her": Dawn Staley heaps praise for LSU's double-double machine Aneesah Morrow
Ahead of Dawn Staley's No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks' clash with No. 5 LSU Tigers, the coach hailed LSU's Aneesah Morrow. The senior guard has been on a tear this season, putting up eye-popping numbers — averaging a double-double with 18.7 points and 14.2 rebounds per game.
The question remains, however, whether Morrow’s impressive individual stats will translate to a win for the Tigers against the defending national champions.
When Dawn Staley was asked about stopping Morrow while speaking with the media during Thursday's practice session, she acknowledged the challenge posed by the star player.
"You really can't stop her — (scoring and rebounding) is what she does," Staley said (3:59). "I think you have to find ways in which to make it hard for her to score – that's one. And then, you got to gain rebounds. You got to gang box out. That's about will and positioning."
"She can't just do what she does best and be able to rest on the defensive side of the ball. So, we got to make her play on both ends. We got enough bigs that will give her different looks to make her play."
Aneesah Morrow put on an impressive showing in both of the Tigers' games against South Carolina last season. In the first matchup on Jan. 25, 2024, she recorded a game-high 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Less than two months later in the SEC Tournament championship on Mar. 10, Morrow had another double-double performance with 19 points and 10 rebounds. However, the Gamecocks prevailed both times.
Dawn Staley reflects on the importance of winning against Kim Mulkey's LSU
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley knows all too well the significance of their upcoming game against LSU and the challenges that Kim Mulkey's team presents.
"It’s a rivalry," Staley said during Thursday's media availability. "It’s a game that we must win, obviously, because we only play them once, and you want the tiebreak advantage ... (I’m) glad it’s at home."
"They’re not going to come in here, think we’re going to walk all over them. I think their M.O. is coming in here wanting to win, wanting to silence the crowd and continuing to be undefeated."
Since arriving in Baton Rouge in 2021, Dawn Staley and Kim Mulkey have faced each other four times — but Staley has won each of those meetings.