TAMPA, Fla. – LSU once again left the Final Four in disappointment And this one was likely the most disappointing of all, as Tennessee ended LSU’s national championship hopes with a 47-46 win with less than a second left in regulation Sunday. Victory was well within the Lady Tigers’ reach. Senior point guard Erica White sank two free throws to give LSU a 46-45 advantage with 7.1 seconds remaining. But 7.1 seconds was enough for the Lady Vols. Tennessee junior forward Candace Parker drove the full length of the court and dished to senior Nicky Anosike, who missed a lay-up. Senior Alexis Hornbuckle put back Anosike’s missed attempt to give Tennessee a 47-46 win with just 0.7 seconds remaining. “I definitely felt good about our chances,” senior point guard Erica White said. “I felt confident in our defense. But we just didn’t make a play. We failed to make a play at the end. If we had just made Candace Parker cross over the ball one time, we win. But we failed to do that, so we lose.” LSU coach Van Chancellor said the loss easily ranks among the most difficult in his storied coaching career. “It’s going to be a tough loss when I think of these kids and all they went through for four years,” Chancellor said. “All the things I tried to instill in this team … they came down tonight.” Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said she showed faith in her star, as Parker struggled greatly throughout the game. She scored just 13 points with dismal 6-of-27 shooting from the field. “When you have the best player in the game, the best player needs to have the ball in her hands when the game is on the line,” she said. Parker, plagued by a dislocated shoulder injury, said she still had faith in her abilities despite her struggles in the game. “I’m happy my team still had confidence in me to put the ball in my hands at the end of the game,” she said. “I knew I wanted to come down and create, whether it was a shot, or a pass. I was going to take what the defense gave me.” Monday’s defensive slugfest was gritty, heated and downright physical. More than anything, it was the tale of two collegiate superstars fighting for supremacy. LSU senior center Sylvia Fowles battled Parker for much of the night. And Fowles out-performed Parker in points, but the 6-foot-6-inch center’s efforts weren’t enough for LSU to take home the win. Fowles scored 24 points and was the sole LSU player in double digits. Fowles grabbed 20 rebounds but shot just 4-of-11 from the free throw line. And free throws were perhaps the difference in the game. LSU shot just 7-of-19 from the free throw line. The first half combined point total of 40 points was the third lowest in NCAA Final Four history. Tennessee now advances to play Stanford in Tuesday’s national championship game.
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