South Carolina’s fourth size advantage was not the problem for the LSU women’s basketball team on Sunday.
It was when Gamecocks declined that it was a deciding factor in a 69-65 loss at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
For the second time in three games, LSU played on equal terms for three quarters with a top 10 team, but when the visitors picked up the pace, they left the building with South Carolina’s ninth consecutive victory and the 11th consecutive series.
LSU (6-7, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) was one point from the lead at 56-55 with 3:41 remaining, but scored only once in the next three minutes, while South Carolina canceled the game. Gamecocks started their transition game thanks to LSU’s missed shots and twists, making their final six attempts at field goal – all layups.
Last week, the Tigers resisted Texas A&M’s seventh place win overtime. This time, they didn’t make enough moves in the final stretch and saw their two-game winning streak end.
“We are trying to put together a complete game,” said senior guard Khayla Pointer. “In this game we were face to face with one of the best teams in the country, but we have to find a way out of this. You can’t be close to a game like that and lose in the end, especially on our court. “
Pointer had 18 points, five rebounds and three assists, but as always, he didn’t have enough support. Second-year student Tiara Young scored 16 points, 10 of which in the first half, but only played 21 minutes because of a foul. Senior player Faustine Aifuwa struggled throughout the game, missing long stretches and hitting just one of seven shots for seven points and her third lowest rebound (five).
Pointer and Young had a combination of 14 out of 29 shots, but the rest of the team went from 11 to 31. LSU coach Nikki Fargas felt that Young and Aifuwa’s absence prevented their team from breaking the score early.
“We have a very talented sophomore in Tiara Young and we need her to play for more than 20 minutes,” said Fargas. “If we have these two (with Aifuwa) more in the game, it’s a different first half.
“I like our team’s fight. We are still growing and challenging ourselves to be better in certain areas. Tonight, we were definitely exposed at the end of the game. We weren’t scoring, and they were starting their transition game. That was the difference in the game. “
Aaliyah Boston, who comes from a double triple against Georgia, had 20 points and 14 rebounds for South Carolina (12-1, 7-0). Henderson destanni 16 points and eight assists. LSU held top scorer Zia Cooke with 11 points, but it was Cooke’s attacking basket that started the decisive run after Aifuwa and Young missed both shots.
LSU requested a timeout after Lele ‘Grissett scored another transition layup for 60-55. Young responded with a basket, but Boston, Cooke and Grissett kept pace in favor of Gamecocks with transition baskets after two missed shots and an LSU turn. Grissett’s shot made 66-57 with 1:14 to play.
“We try to make things more difficult for them by keeping Boston and (Victaria) Saxton off the boards to limit their second chance points,” said Pointer. “We tried to slow them down in the transition, which we were unable to do in the last minutes of the game.”
LSU managed to control the pace in the first half and led by up to six points (31-25). The Lady Tigers limited the SEC’s best rebound team to eight second-chance points, but the visitors adjusted and surpassed the LSU 30-6 on the break-break points.
“LSU wanted to take the air out of the ball and separate us from the defensive side of the ball,” said South Carolina coach Dawn Staley. “I felt that we needed to increase the pace, make it faster and maybe reverse it. Stop the rhythm. Its elimination and layups gave us the separation we needed to win the game. “