BATON ROUGE, La. — Jada Richard scored 20 points and No. 6 LSU pulled away in the second half for an 89-60 victory over Florida on Monday night.
It was the fifth straight Southeastern Conference win for the Tigers (19-2, 5-2) after they lost their first two league games to Kentucky and Vanderbilt.
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MiLaysia Fulwiley had 15 points and Amiya Joiner added 14 points and 10 rebounds. Mikaylah Williams scored 12 as LSU opened a three-game SEC homestand.
Florida (13-9, 1-6) was led by Liv McGill, who had team highs of 14 points and eight rebounds.
LSU led 22-19 at the end of the first quarter, but it took a while to pull away. During an eight-minute stretch, the Tigers missed 10 of 13 shots — many of them open looks.
The Gators, who got their first SEC win eight days ago, went toe-to-toe with LSU. They turned to physical play, forcing five turnovers in a 2:42 span.
After Laila Reynolds gave Florida a 27-26 lead with 5:36 left in the first half, LSU closed on a 10-2 run for a 36-29 lead at the break. Williams assisted on two of the Tigers’ baskets and closed the half with a driving jumper.
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Richard scored 12 of LSU’s 27 third-quarter points, and the Tigers took a 63-45 lead into the fourth. They scored 11 third-period points off six Florida turnovers.
Fulwiley took charge for LSU in the fourth with 11 points, two rebounds and two blocks. She chased down McGill for a rejection of her fast-break layup attempt.
Up next
Florida: Thursday at home vs. Texas.
LSU: Thursday at home vs. Arkansas.
