It was all purple and gold Thursday night in the PMAC, from LSU women’s basketball coach Van Chancellor’s purple and gold suit to the Lady Tigers’ dominating victory over No. 17 Michigan State.
The No. 4 Lady Tigers (3-0) defeated their first ranked opponent of the season, 64-41, as they continued play in the Preseason Women’s National Invitational Tournament.
Chancellor, who donned a light yellow jacket and muted-purple pants after being criticized for wearing a “Tennessee orange” tie on Sunday, said he was pleased with his team’s offensive production and defensive effort.
“This performance tonight was everything I wanted,” he said. “I thought tonight we were really ready to play. Our shoot-around was outstanding, and our focus was great. We just talked constantly about how we wanted to see LSU defense, and we did.”
LSU opened with a 15-0 lead and never looked back, ending the first half with a 32-14 advantage.
Michigan State coach Suzy Merchant said LSU’s quick advantage was exactly what her team wanted to prevent.
“I think we missed some pretty easy shots that could have changed the flow of the game in [LSU’s] early run,” she said. “I was very disappointed offensively, because we’re better than that. We played rattled and played scared.”
Senior center Sylvia Fowles led the Lady Tigers with 10 rebounds and 25 points, with 21 points in the first half. Fowles did not get called for a foul until the second half.
“I made a promise to [my coaches and teammates] that I would stay out of foul trouble, because this was a game where I needed to be on the floor and playing,” Fowles said.
Merchant said her team attempted to prepare for Fowles’ performance but could not anticipate the true impact of her play.
“It was hard to simulate,” she said. “We tried very hard with our scout team, but bless their hearts, there’s no Sylvia Fowles out there on our scout team.”
LSU senior guard Quianna Chaney scored 14 points but took some time to heat up as she scored just two points in the first half. Her two 3-pointers in the second half were key in a run that resulted in LSU’s 33-point advantage at the 4:06 mark.
“[Fowles’ performance] opened up the outside so I was able to knock down some shots,” Chaney said. “I don’t know what happened in the first half. I’ve got to work on that.”
LSU now advances to the championship game and will play the winner of tonight’s game between Maryland and Notre Dame.
—-Contact Amy Brittain at [email protected]