The No. 24 LSU Lady Tigers could not hold off the No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies in the SEC quarterfinals, falling 75-69 .
It marked the first loss in the opening game of the SEC Tournament for LSU (19-9, 11-5 SEC) under coach Nikki Fargas.
The Lady Tigers and Aggies (24-8, 11-5) battled for most of the first quarter with A&M taking a slight 22-21 lead.LSU attempted to pull away in the second quarter when LSU went on a 10-0 run to take a 37-28 lead with 1:58 left in the second quarter.
The Aggies pulled right back in, outscoring LSU 6-2 to close the half,
A&M would pick up right where they left off by scoring the first 11 points of the third quarter to put in LSU in trouble.
The Lady Tigers would refocus on the defensive side of the court and hold A&M scoreless for the final three minutes of the quarter.
Senior guard Raigyne Louis hit a big three point shot with 9 seconds to close a 7-0 run to pull LSU within two. 
The Aggies would continue to trade baskets with the Lady Tigers, before the Aggies picked up a technical foul on senior guard Danni Williams, allowing LSU to take a 65-64 lead.
However, A&M pulled away in the final minutes on an 11-4 run while the Lady Tigers made just two of their last 11 shots. 
LSU shot just 29.3% from the field  n the second half, while the Aggies shot 53.3% from the field in the half.
A&M freshman guard Chennedy Carter powered to 27 points after being held to just 18 points in the first two meetings combined.
LSU was led by Louis and Mitchell, each scoring 17 points. Mitchell also contributed 11 rebounds and a season-high four steals. Junior guard Chloe Jackson tallied 16 points, five rebounds and five assists. 
LSU’s RPI of 28 and four Top 25 wins will likely garner a trip to the NCAA tournament, despite the early loss in the conference tournament. The Lady Tigers will await their destination until Selection Monday on March 12.