Guzzling liquids while trainers frantically iced her legs, senior guard Quianna Chaney battled cramps during the final minutes of LSU’s epic battle with No. 1 Connecticut. Chaney was instrumental in the Lady Tigers’ offense, scoring 22 points and shooting 6-of-11 from behind the arc in LSU’s 74-69 loss to UConn. And there was no doubt whose number coach Van Chancellor would call when LSU was down three points with 18.0 seconds remaining. Huskies coach Geno Auriemma knew it too. “You’re never 100 percent sure who’s going to take the next shot, but we were about 99.9 percent sure that Quianna was going to take that shot,” he said. And Chaney took the shot. UConn defenders guarded her closely as she attempted to come through a screen, resulting in an off-balanced heave. “We were just not going to let her get a clean look,” Auriemma said. “When the ball left her hand, I thought it just might go in. She’s a phenomenal shooter.” Chaney did not say if her cramps affected the final minute of play. But she did say clock awareness was her downfall. “When I looked after I shot it, I had about seven seconds,” Chaney said. “I probably could have gotten a screen and got a better shot rather than rushing the ball.” Chaney and senior center Sylvia Fowles combined for an impressive 48 points from the field. On any other night, it would likely have been more than enough to beat a quality opponent. But Fowles and Chaney did not have much help from the rest of the LSU squad. Senior guard RaShonta LeBlanc scored eight. Senior guard Erica White, who averages seven points per game, scored just four points on 2-of-6 shooting from the field. Auriemma said he told his players not to be concerned with Fowles if they could contain the rest of the Lady Tigers. “I said, ‘If Sylvia gets 40 points tonight, they could still lose,” he said. “It’s the other girls on the team that kill you.” But UConn packed its own one-two punch in freshman forward Maya Moore and sophomore center Tina Charles. The two combined for 47 points, with Moore scoring 29. “I have been in coaching forever, and I don’t think I have ever seen a freshman come into a hostile environment and make shot after shot,” Chancellor said of Moore. “She was their go-to player in the end.” But Chancellor said UConn’s third consistent scorer, sophomore forward Kaili McLaren, was “the difference maker.” McLaren recorded a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. “She just overpowered us inside,” Chancellor said. Auriemma said McLaren’s inconsistency has plagued her in past games. “Sometimes she just settles for being good. Sometimes she’s just OK. Today she played like she wanted to be really good at times,” he said. “She didn’t do anything tonight that surprised anyone on our team. We’ve seen her do those things on a regular basis.” Auriemma said Moore’s supporting cast of Charles and McLaren was crucial for securing a win. “It doesn’t matter how many Maya gets,” he said. “The other girls need to make plays in order for us to win big games.”
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Fowles, Chaney not enough in loss
February 26, 2008