The LSU women’s basketball team never led in a loss to No. 14 Texas A&M on Monday night in the PMAC.
The loss was just LSU’s (13-9, 4-5 Southeastern Conference) second at home this season and ended an eight-game winning streak in the PMAC.
The Lady Tigers once again found themselves behind big early as Texas A&M (18-5, 8-1 SEC) opened up the game with a 9-0 run.
Shanece McKinney finally put an end to the scoring drought with a layup almost four minutes into the game.
Although the Lady Tigers spent virtually the entire first half trailing the Aggies, they were able to keep the game relatively close. The period became a back-and-forth affair in which LSU would consistently diminish leads created by Texas A&M.
The Aggies took a 32-21 lead – their largest of the half – with 2:06 remaining in the first half, but LSU immediately fired back with a quick six points to make it a five-point game at halftime.
“This team has a lot of fight in them,” said LSU coach Nikki Caldwell. “This is a team that doesn’t give up, even when its back is against the wall.”
The second period saw more of the same.
It seemed every time the Aggies took control of the game, LSU would find a way to work its way back to within striking distance.
“We just have a fight in us,” said LSU senior guard Adrienne Webb. “We came in hungry for a win, and every time we got down, we picked ourselves back up and fought to come back in the game.”
Texas A&M was able to fend off these attacks with the second-half dominance of junior center Kelsey Bone. After sitting on the bench for a good portion of the first half with foul trouble, she dominated the second half and finished with a game-high 21 points and 11 rebounds.
In the end, Bone and the Aggies proved to be too much for the Lady Tigers to overcome, as they finished the game with a 13-1 run in the final four minutes of the game.
LSU was led Webb, who continued her recent hot-streak with 17 points. Freshman guard Danielle Ballard also made an impact with 12 points and seven rebounds.
Junior forward Theresa Plaisance had one of her weaker performances of the season shooting 3-for-13 from the field and grabbing six rebounds. She finished the game with 11 points.
“I take full responsibility for this loss,” Plaisance said. “Coach called me out in the locker room and told me that I needed to put the team on my back, and I did not do the best job I could possibly do.”
LSU junior guard Jeanne Kenney went down with a left knee injury early in the second half and did not return.
The Lady Tigers will have little time to recover. They will look to bounce back when they stay at home to take on No. 12 Tennessee.
