Both the LSU and No. 20 Georgia women’s basketball teams put up their poorest shooting performances of the season Sunday, but LSU eked out a victory to conclude a four-game homestand.
LSU (15-8, 5-4) shot a miserable 18-for-63 (28.6 percent) from the field, and Georgia (16-5, 6-2) was 16-for-55 (29.1 percent), but the final score favored LSU, 47-41, in front of 3,941 fans at the PMAC.
It was the first time since the second round of the 2007 Southeastern Conference tournament that LSU won when scoring 50 points or fewer and the first time in coach Van Chancellor’s tenure.
LSU made just two 3-pointers for the second-straight game, this time finishing 2-for-21 for a season-low 9.8 percent. But the Lady Tigers found a way to get it done defensively, recording 30 defensive rebounds. Junior forward LaSondra Barrett tied a career high with 12 boards and reached the 500-rebound plateau after just 14 seconds in the game.
“Can you believe the Lady Tigers won a basketball game and in the second half shot 0-for-15 from the 3-point line?” Chancellor said. “[But] we didn’t come out and foul and give up second-chance points. … Against Arkansas [Thursday], we weren’t doing all we could do.”
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LSU led 27-21 at halftime, and Georgia had 12 chances in the second half to tie the score or take the lead.
Georgia coach Andy Landers said it was LSU’s offensive rebounds that put a dagger in the Lady Bulldogs’ comeback efforts.
“The defenses are both very good, but when they get the offensive boards 18 times, we have to repeat the defensive effort eight times,” Landers said. “We didn’t hit anything from the outside. I don’t remember hitting maybe but one shot from the outside the entire second half.”
LSU junior forward Courtney Jones scored eight points – four from the free throw line – and tied her career high with nine rebounds in 22 minutes. Senior guard Katherine Graham scored in double figures again with 14 in 39 minutes.
Chancellor said Jones brought “a little pizzazz” onto the court.
“She gave us a spirit, gave us a lift,” Chancellor said. “We were up a point and kind of had that sad look. We got her the ball, and she made shots under the basket. … She’s like the Energizer bunny.”
Georgia led just once in the game, as the Lady Bulldogs opened the scoring with a jumper in the paint by forward Jasmine Hassell. The sophomore led all scorers with 16 points on 8-of-11 from the field.
LSU senior guard Latear Eason then answered with a 3-pointer with 18:45 left in the first half, a far cry from the Arkansas contest, when LSU took 8:45 to put up its first points.
LSU would never relinquish the lead. Georgia has not eclipsed the 50-point mark in its last two games.
LSU next goes on the road for five of its final seven regular season games. Barrett said the team will use the momentum it gained Sunday to continue its intense play down the stretch.
“Having a nationally ranked team like Georgia come in, we knew the win would be very good for us – not only for our team, but for our RPI and the … confidence we would gain going into this two-game road stretch,” Barrett said.
 
 
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