COLUMBIA, S.C. — The LSU women's basketball team struggled with scoring down the stretch against South Carolina and lost for the first time this season.

No. 5 LSU fell 56-66 to No. 2 South Carolina in Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina in a marquee regular season game for women's basketball on Friday.

“I thought our defense and I thought South Carolina's defense was good,” Coach Kim Mulkey said. “Low scoring game. Both teams, you know, scouted each other pretty darn good. It wasn't an entertaining game from an offensive standpoint, but I didn't think it was a boring game. I thought it was a very good game.”

LSU struggled with Carolina's defense in the second quarter scoring a season-low eight points after the Tigers finished 0-14 from the floor in the second quarter.

“In this game it’s just a little thing that’s usually the difference,” Coach Mulkey said. “To me it was turnovers at the most critical time that allowed the crowd to get into it and allowed them to gain a little more confidence.”

LSU turned the ball over 17 times in the game which led to 22 Gamecock points.

Kim Mulkey had a much different feeling about LSU's loss to South Carolina then most of us.

Here is what she says she learned from the 56-66 loss to the Gamecocks pic.twitter.com/9ZIxWhgpOi

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Senior forward Aneesah Morrow led LSU with 15 points and 16 rebounds and Flau'jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams each contributed 13 points.  LSU only got scoring efforts three other players with the Tiger bench contributing only 2 points in the game compared to Carolina's 31 bench points.

The Tigers' loss against the Gamecocks gave the Kim Mulkey-coached team its first loss. The Tigers now have a record of 20-1, with a 5-1 conference record.

South Carolina is now 19-1 and remains undefeated in SEC play. 

The game was originally scheduled for Thursday before being postponed due to an arctic blast that sent freezing temperatures and snow throughout the South.