Win or lose, LSU senior guard Jeanne Kenney played her final contest in the PMAC when her squad battled West Virginia on Tuesday night.
With 7:22 remaining in the first half, Kenney walked into the LSU locker room — she was reportedly evaluated for concussion symptoms, an injury that plagued the Baton Rouge native last season, forcing her to miss the Lady Tigers’ victory against Penn State in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
LSU had a déjà vu scenario on its hands.
With senior forwards Theresa Plaisance and Shanece McKinney running into foul trouble midway through the second half, LSU coach Nikki Caldwell had to turn to her bench — a group that was already depleted with sophomore forward Derreyal Youngblood’s suspension and freshman guard Raigyne Moncrief’s leg injury.
The Lady Tigers had two regular starters, McKinney and sophomore guard Danielle Ballard, log more than 30 minutes in the contest. Junior guard DaShawn Harden carried the rest of the playing time, logging 33 minutes.
Caldwell had to trust her bench in the biggest game of its career.
It passed its latest exam with flying colors.
“We had a lot of people step up,” Plaisance said. “We just had a lot of team camaraderie. The play from our guards stepped up tremendously. The heart of our team was so strong tonight, and we were all beating as one.”
Ballard made her presence felt under the basket, collecting 15 rebounds and scoring 22 points.
“I felt like we, as a team, had to step up, especially me as one of the scorers on the team,” Ballard said. “I had to get to the hole and get the wide-open shot for my teammates. I’m used to Jeanne directing us on the court on offense and defense. It was tough.”
Freshman guard Rina Hill made pivotal shots down the stretch, including four free throws in the final minute of play. She finished with eight.
Even freshman guard Jasmine Rhodes, who has only logged an average of 8.2 minutes per game this season, scored double digits, finishing with 11 points and six rebounds.
At one point in the second half, Caldwell had four guards on the court at the same time. The unit held together for one of the more emotional victories of LSU’s season.
Caldwell attributed the emotional comeback victory to the chemistry between her players, saying the loss of Kenney brought the squad together.
“I think there’s something that stirs up in them as players when you lose a leader,” Caldwell said. “They chose to dig a little deeper and dig a little more for Jeanne because she’s been just that for them for a long time. I think that’s what made the difference.”