After falling behind early in its last two games against Arkansas and Ole Miss, the LSU women’s basketball team’s defense shut down No. 12 Texas A&M early and never looked back in an 80-63 victory at the PMAC on Sunday afternoon.
The Lady Tigers’ defensive pressure returned as LSU (16-12, 10-6 Southeastern Conference) notched its second home win against a ranked opponent this season. But senior guard DaShawn Harden stole the show with a career-high 28 points in her last home game.
With the win, LSU secured the fourth seed and a double-bye in the Southeastern Conference Tournament. The Lady Tigers will play on Friday, 25 minutes after the first quarterfinal finishes in Little Rock, Arkansas. That game is slated for noon.
“Last year [in the SEC Tournament], we played four games and in the second half against Tennessee we got tired and that’s why we lost,” Harden said. “That’s what my main focus was. Anything that I could do to help us win this game, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Harden exploded offensively in the first half, starting with a layup just five seconds into the game that sparked an 11-4 LSU run during the first three minutes. In the first two minutes alone, Harden recorded a steal and seven points, including a 3-pointer.
In the remaining 18 minutes of the first half, Harden hit a career-high five 3-pointers on 5-for-5 shooting from behind the arc. By halftime, Harden was only one point away from her career-high of 23 points.
“It was nice,” Harden said. “I was just thinking I was going to get defensive stops. That’s what my main focus was this game. [My teammates] just kept finding me. Really, you can’t make shots without people passing it to you.”
Along with Harden, junior guard Danielle Ballard and sophomore guard Raigyne Moncrief added eight points apiece. The Lady Tigers’ 47 points in the first half was a season-high, surpassing previous high of 43 points against Kentucky on Jan. 18.
LSU’s full-court pressure defense disrupted the rhythm of Texas A&M’s (22-8, 10-6 SEC) offense by forcing 15 turnovers in the first half, including seven steals.
The Aggies began the second half by outscoring the Lady Tigers, 6-4, in the first five minutes and cutting LSU’s lead to 10 points. But that was the closest the Aggies would get in the second period.
Ballard led the Lady Tigers with 12 points in the second half, shooting 5-for-10 from the floor and 2-for-3 from the charity stripe.
Although Texas A&M cut the lead to 11 points with 2:41 remaining, the Lady Tigers took over the game with an 8-2 run in the final three minutes to seal the victory. During the run, Ballard and Harden each hit a field goal while Ballard and sophomore guard Rina Hill went 2-for-2 from the free throw line.
Despite tallying a third win against a top-15 opponent and a third win against a top-30 RPI opponent, LSU coach Nikki Caldwell is focused on getting her team through the SEC Tournament and securing a NCAA Tournament bid.
“When you look at our last 12 games, which the committee looks at, we’re 8-4 with the four losses coming on the road, so that’s a strong statement,” Caldwell said. “Our guard play is pretty strong. … Obviously when you look at what Harden did tonight, that’s another player who’s explosive. We’ve got the personnel to match that résumé that you want to take into the NCAA Tournament.”
You can reach Morgan Prewitt on Twitter @kmprewitt_TDR.