What else can you say about Sue Gunter and the Lady Tigers?
Of all the great terms people have associated with them during this magical year, one trait stood out in No. 3 LSU’s 69-63, dramatic Sweet 16 comeback win over Louisiana Tech — heart.
In sports, the word is used to describe a player’s drive, determination and desire to win.
Perhaps that lone word does not do justice to what it took for those ladies to overcome and accomplish with so much falling down around them. The first 25 minutes of Sunday’s game likely had LSU’s players, including the seniors, worried their spectacular season would end on a bitter, embarrassing note.
Tech dominated the game in every facet, grabbing rebounds, making second chance buckets, doing all the things winners do on the court to take a 10-point halftime lead.
When the Lady Techsters extended the lead to 50-33 with under 15 minutes to play, it seemed LSU might give up. Most other teams in the situation might have thrown in the towel, but instead, LSU’s heart showed up.
Call it inspiration, refusal to lose or an insatiable desire for this season not to end yet — it was on every player’s face. They all found something inside themselves from a place all the fans at Maples Pavilion and ESPN2 viewers could not see.
It happened slow, but several key performances from starters and reserves alike helped LSU chip away at the Tech lead until it was nothing.
Playing like a woman on a mission, forward DeTrina White scored 10 points and fueled the Lady Tigers’ 28-7 second half run, which helped LSU shut Tech down.
Temeka Johnson showed her true colors as well, shedding her protective Oakleys after missing her first five shots and playing hard despite the risk of further injury. The junior scored eights points and dished out nine assists.
Crystal White stepped up big in only three minutes of play, schooling Tech’s Cheryl Ford with two key blocks after LSU finally took the lead late in the game. Ford, who scored 16 points and 15 rebounds, had been manhandling the Lady Tigers in the paint until that point.
LSU now advances to its third ever Elite Eight and will face Texas on Tuesday at 8 p.m. for the right to get to its first Final Four. If the Lady Tigers are going to reach their goals and beyond, they can look at the Tech game as a big stepping stone.
LSU head coach Sue Gunter has said all season it takes a little bit of luck for a team to get to the Final Four, but the Lady Tigers showed determination, and especially heart, can get a team there just as easily.