How It Happened: Kailyn Gilbert's Last-Second Bucket Lifts No. 6 LSU Over Tennessee

Gilbert's acrobatic finish propels LSU over the Volunteers, Tigers remain unbeaten on the seasaon.

LSU guard Kailyn Gilbert (16) shushes the Tennessee crowd after hitting a three-pointer during a women's college basketball game between the Lady Vols and LSU at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Kailyn Gilbert hit a late-game shot with 0.9 second remaining and No. 6 LSU (18-0, 3-0 SEC) walked away victorious over Tennessee (13-2, 1-2 SEC) Thursday night in Thompson-Boling Arena, 89-87, marking the Tigers’ third consecutive win in Knoxville, becoming just the second program ever to win three straight visiting the Lady Vols.

“She’s made several of those shots through the course of the games this year,” Coach Kim Mulkey said.

Aneesah Morrow led the way for LSU with 23 points and 21 rebounds, accomplishing two major career feats.

Her double-double tonight was good for the 90th of her career, and she is now tied with Tennessee Tech’s Cheryl Taylor (1984-87) at third all-time on the NCAA career double-double leaders list.

Morrow also surpassed 2,500 points in her career and she is also closing in on 1,500 career rebounds.  

LSU was also aided by great performances from both Flau’Jae Johnson and Gilbert. Johnson finished with 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists of her own, while Gilbert put up an impressive 22 points and 5 rebounds

The Tigers are just the second team ever to win three straight at Tennessee (2022, 2024 and 2025). The only other team to accomplish this feat was Mississippi State when they won three straight between 2017, 2018 and 2020. 

Tennessee was led in scoring by Jewel Spear, who finished the game with 25 points and was 5 for 7 from beyond the arc. The Tigers outscored the Lady Vols in the paint, 60-30, and had a 24-14 edge for second chance points.

The Tigers will be back in action on Monday to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores in the PMAC. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.

LSU won the tip and scored almost immediately to start the contest, as Jersey Wolfenbarger was able to put back in a Fluajue Johnson miss.

The early theme of the first quarter was defense, as both offenses found themselves struggling to score early on. The Tigers held the Lady Vols to just 31.6% shooting in the first period of play. 

The quarter ended 26-17 with the Tigers in front by 9. The Lady Vols were able to cut the lead to seven late with a three from Samara Spencer, but Flau’jae Johnson caught the Tennessee defense lacking and quickly went coast to coast to finish a layup off the glass to extend the lead back to nine. 

In the middle of the second quarter, the Lady Vols went on a 12-0 run to cut the Tiger lead to just 6 points with 3:58 left in the half. 

The first half ended in favor of the Tigers, 46-39. Aneesah Morrow led LSU in the half with 19 points and 10 rebounds, needing only the first period to get her 2,500th career point along with her 90th career double-double. 

The third quarter was tightly contested, as both team’s offenses found a bit of rhythm after their visits to the locker room.

LSU maintained a lead for the entirety of the period, but Tennessee never got down by more than seven as they kept the game close.

The Lady Vols were able to cut the lead to just four with 2:37 left to go in the quarter, forcing LSU to burn a timeout.

The Lady Vols shaved the lead down to just two points, but Kaylin Gilbert countered with a clutch jumper from the mid-range to make the score 64-60 with 1:17 left in the period.

Tennessee responded with a bucket of their own, but Kaylin Gilbert once again made her mark with a 3-point play on a contested layup to make the score 67-62 at the end of the third quarter. 

The fourth quarter was both the most tightly contested and the highest scoring quarter of the game, as both teams traded buckets and the lead throughout the period.

After an LSU timeout with 1:27, LSU’s Mikaylah Williams made a crucial layup off of a Tennessee turnover to make the score 87-84 with 49 seconds to go.

With time expiring, Kaylin Gilbert hit a game winning shot to give the Tigers an 89-87 victory.

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