The matchup between LSU (13-3) and South Carolina (14-3) was billed as a defensive one, and both teams lived up to the expectations in LSU’s hard-fought 58-48 win against No. 24 South Carolina at the PMAC on Thursday.
The game was a physical contest that saw 46 total fouls committed between the two squads, who came into the game ranked No. 1 and 2 in the Southeastern Conference in scoring defense.
It was a tale of two halves for the Lady Tigers, who pushed their winning streak to ten games. It was the team’s first win against a ranked opponent since a 51-40 win against then-No. 14 Georgetown on Nov. 16.
Down by seven at the half, LSU opened the floodgates on what had previously been the SEC’s top-ranked defense.
LSU freshman forward Krystal Forthan pulled the trigger on LSU’s rally with a sterling second half performance.
The 6-foot-4 Oregon native tallied the first double-digit rebounding game of her career with 12 rebounds in the contest — 11 of which came in the second half.
Forthan also used her length to grab four steals in the game.
“She’s incredibly athletic,” said South Carolina coach Dawn Staley. “We knew she was a great rebounder — especially in traffic — we knew she could hit some shots. She did an excellent job of getting some timely rebounds.”
Forthan contributed eight points to the LSU effort.
“Krystal is just growing,” said LSU coach Nikki Caldwell. “She comes up with major, major plays for us…when you have a freshman that can score, that can defend, that can rebound—her future is so bright here at LSU.”
The Lady Tigers outscored South Carolina 38-21 in the second half on the strength of 52 percent shooting from the field and connecting on 18-of-23 free throws.
The announced crowd of  4676 was rowdy in the stands, but things got heated on the floor toward the end of the game, when Staley was ejected after getting hit with a double technical while arguing an offensive foul.
Staley stayed on the court for a while after her ejection, and had to be guided toward the locker room by the official. She declined to comment on her ejection.
Both teams struggled with their shooting touch and turnovers in the first half.
LSU forced 13 turnovers in the first half, while limiting South Carolina to just 9-of-25 shooting.
But the Lady Tigers only shot 9-of-26 from the field in the first half, and their aggressive defense was called for 10 fouls in the first half, something South Carolina used to its advantage.
The Gamecocks went 7-for-10 from the charity stripe in the first half while LSU went just 2-for-2, accounting for the point differential.
“We kept them off the free throw line and we were able to score some points,” Staley said of the first half. “And those were things we weren’t able to do in the second half.”
The Lady Tigers got an offensive spark from senior forward LaSondra Barrett in the first half, as she posted six points on 3-for-5 shooting in 11 minutes.
Barrett’s aggressive play helped LSU cut a nine point South Carolina lead down to three. But Barrett picked up two quick fouls, leaving the game with 8:18 remaining in the first half.
The Lady Tigers scored just six points in Barrett’s absence from the floor, going 2-for-7 from the field with six turnovers, allowing South Carolina to push its halftime lead to seven.
The Lady Tigers are 4-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2007-08 season, and travel to Gainesville to take on Florida Sunday.