LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — As the final seconds ticked away in LSU’s 78-62 win against Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference tournament championship game, guard Kisha James threw the ball in the air and ran into her teammates’ outstretched arms.
LSU was the SEC champion.
The Lady Tigers (27-3) never trailed Tennessee and coasted to their first conference crown since the 1990-1991 season. LSU won the tournament, beating the three teams they lost to in the regular season and also snapped Tennessee’s 19-game winning streak.
“Today I think we were ready to play,” said LSU head coach Sue Gunter. “Tennessee knows us well, we know them well, it was just a matter of going out ready to play and getting the job done.”
Point guard Temeka Johnson directed LSU to victory, scoring 24 points and grabbing nine rebounds. The junior, who was named tournament MVP, took a knee to the thigh early in the game, but said she just played through the pain.
“You don’t feel pain when you play in a game like this,” Johnson said. “When I looked at the score, it probably stopped hurting.”
Gunter said the players realized they could play with more emotion and not hold anything back. She said the team played smart in every game and played well, especially with so much at stake.
“In all three games, our team played with a great deal of poise,” Gunter said. “We struggled against Arkansas and Vanderbilt, but they kept their composure.”
LSU beat Arkansas, 78-72, and Vanderbilt, 78-69 to advance to the final.
Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt said the starters did not step up and make big plays, and said no one could contain LSU’s point guard.
“Temeka Johnson was the difference maker,” Summitt said. “We didn’t have an answer for her, and we didn’t have one the last time we played them.”
Summitt said she was disappointed in the team’s lack of competitiveness in its play and said it had little chance to beat a balanced team like LSU, playing that way.
“We had some breakdowns in our defense,” Summitt said. “We have to establish a better scoring output from our post players.”
Aiysha Smith added 18 points and Seimone Augustus had 12 points. Augustus was named to the all-tournament team, scoring 54 points in three games.
Tennessee shot 38 percent from the floor compared to LSU’s 50 percent, and the Lady Volunteers only connected on 1-of-13 3-pointers.
“We didn’t play well in this tournament in any of the first halves,” Summitt said. “If you take Kara Lawson out of the equation, our starters only scored 18 points.”
Point guard Kara Lawson, who also earned all-tournament honors, led UT with 16 points and freshman Shanna Zolman had 15 points.
LSU jumped out to an early lead, holding UT scoreless for the first five minutes of the game and taking a 7-0 lead. The Lady Volunteers stormed back to cut the lead to 9-8, but a 14-2 run helped LSU extend the lead and take a 42-25 halftime lead.
The Lady Vols came out in the second half with the full-court press and were able to convert three quick points off it, but LSU responded with a 3-point play from Ke-Ke Tardy and UT was not able to make another run.
While the team can take a few days to savor the victory, Gunter said there is still more to play for.
“We’ll enjoy this,” she said. “The last time we won a SEC tournament championship, [LSU assistant coach] Pokey Chatman was the point guard. I’ve got a bottle of wine back at the hotel and I might even have a little champagne before I get on the plane.”