Like the LSU women’s basketball team itself, senior guard DaShawn Harden has had her share of peaks and valleys this season. But there is perhaps no better way to end a season than with your highest peak in your final home game in college.
After a nine-game stretch averaging 6.1 points per game, Harden ended the year with a career high 28-point performance and was a major cog in the 80-63 win against then-No. 12 Texas A&M, which locked up the fourth seed in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
Harden averaged 15.6 points per game in the Lady Tigers’ final three contests while ranking sixth in the SEC in steals per game. She said her maturity off the court allowed her to further her development as a basketball player.
“I think my off-the-court lessons have evolved me more, basketball-wise,” Harden said. “With [LSU coach Nikki Caldwell] holding me accountable with everything I do, especially in school, I get into that rhythm of constantly being consistent on something outside of basketball, and it kind of transpires into basketball. So with me being more of a consistent scorer, I think that all comes from coach Nikki helping me off the basketball court.”
Prior to the return of junior guard and All-SEC First Team selection Danielle Ballard, who missed 14 games due to a suspension, Harden led the team in scoring and averaged 12 points per game. She went on a tear and scored in double digits in six consecutive games from Nov. 22 to Dec. 19, 2014, which is the second-longest streak on the team this year.
Harden and Ballard established a dominant frontcourt that upset then-No. 15 Mississippi State in double overtime after playing only two games together all season. In the next game against then-No. 10 Kentucky on Jan. 18, Harden suffered a concussion after taking an elbow to the eye, forcing her to leave the game and miss the following contest. 
Harden said her vision was blurry for the next few weeks and was not 100 percent until a week before the team’s matchup against Ole Miss on Feb. 26.
After returning from the injury, Harden suffered her worst slump of the season and failed to score more than nine points in six straight games. She was relegated to the bench and challenged by Caldwell after an 86-62 blowout loss to South Carolina in which Harden went 0-for-4 with no points.
“I can rip through my entire bench, but I’m going to start with DaShawn Harden,” Caldwell said after the loss. “I think she can give us a spark in a big way on both sides of the basketball. And not too many players can do that. She’s a player that to me is one of our more skilled guards.”
In response, Harden knocked down six 3-pointers and scored a combined 22 points off the bench in her next two games, reaching another personal peak as the Lady Tigers finished their schedule.
After Harden’s career game on senior day, Caldwell said Harden is a force to be reckoned with as long as she keeps herself concentrated.
“She’s a player that can score a lot of baskets in a short period of time especially if you get her looks,” Caldwell said. “She’s a player that can stretch you defensively because she can shoot the 3-pointer. The thing about DaShawn is when she is focused in on the gameplan, she’s a game changer. Her ability to get steals and convert those into layups. She’s a great spot up shooter [and] can catch and shoot. You have to know where she’s at at all times.”
You can reach Stanton Vignes on Twitter @stanvignes_TDR.