The LSU women’s basketball team fell short once again.
In the sixth loss of the year decided by five or fewer points, the Lady Tigers (17-11, 7-7) struggled to find any signs of offense in a 42-40 loss to Arkansas (18-8, 6-8) in Fayetteville.
LSU’s two losses to the Razorbacks this season ended a 16-game winning streak against the Southeastern Conference rival.
“We had free throws, we had little chip shots we missed,” said LSU coach Van Chancellor in a postgame interview. “Somebody in there’s got to make a shot.”
After trailing the majority of the game, the Lady Tigers had their chance to snatch the victory from the Razorbacks late in the game.
With 3.6 seconds left in the contest, senior guard Katherine Graham inbounded the ball to freshman guard Jeanne Kenney with two Arkansas defenders in her face.
Kenney’s last-second desperation 3-pointer hit the backboard and rim before bouncing out, securing the Razorback victory.
“It doesn’t make any difference what we do,” said Chancellor, who was seeking his eighth SEC road victory of the season. “When the pressure gets on, we can’t get it done. It isn’t just about this or that. We’re struggling under pressure to get what we want run.”
LSU’s conference-best defense held Arkansas to 25.4 percent shooting, marking the seventh-straight game the Lady Tigers have held their opponent to 55 points or less.
The Lady Tigers’ turnover problem from last week continued, giving away 16 balls.
Chancellor said the poor offense, combined with the lack of execution, made for a frustrating outing.
“You don’t give up but 42 points, commit 16 turnovers, and I can’t get us to quit charging in the middle of the lane. And I couldn’t get us to get the ball to the right people at the right time,” Chancellor said. “I don’t have an answer to it, I really don’t.”
Sophomore guard Adrienne Webb led the way for the Tigers, scoring 10 points in the contest and pulling down six rebounds.
Junior forward LaSondra Barrett finished the game with nine points and nine rebounds, coming up just shy of her fifth double-double of the season.
Despite the defensive effort, LSU shot only 26.5 percent in the contest – the third-straight game the Lady Tigers have shot less than 30 percent.
“We missed shots right up under the basket,” Chancellor said. “We shot the ball four times and didn’t even hit the rim from two feet. I don’t understand that at a major college, I really don’t.”
LSU comes back home Thursday to face South Carolina in the PMAC in its final home contest of the season.
The Lady Tigers, who now sit in a tie for sixth place in the conference and with just two games left on the regular-season slate, find themselves in a near must-win situation.
LSU is fighting for a fourth-place conference finish, which would secure a first-round bye in the SEC tournament in March for the 10th-straight year.
“That’s a real challenge,” Chancellor said. “We have our work cut out for us.”
 
 
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Contact Mark Clements at [email protected]