There have not been many times the LSU women’s basketball team has been down this season, but Sunday afternoon was one of those situations.
Facing several obstacles – LSU trailed most of the game, Mississippi State had a record crowd of 6,055 and leading scorer Seimone Augustus injured her ankle in the final minutes of the contest – the Lady Tigers gutted it out.
With their backs against the wall, the Lady Tigers buckled down in the final five minutes, overcame 20 turnovers and pulled out a 77-72 victory over No. 11 Mississippi State (16-6, 5-4 Southeastern Conference) in Starkville, Miss.
The win also marked the No. 4 Lady Tigers’ (20 1, 8-1) fourth consecutive victory over a Top 20 SEC team in as many games.
By virtue of No. 3 Tennessee’s win over Florida, LSU still is one game out of first place in the SEC standings.
Point guard Temeka Johnson led LSU with 19 points and also chipped in seven rebounds and nine assists.
“I felt the cataylst was Temeka,” head coach Sue Gunter said on her radio show. “She all of the sudden thought ‘hey, we’re not going to lose.’ I thought she really dug in and her teammates came with her. All in all, it was a great team win.”
Ke-Ke Tardy scored 15 points in a return to her home state and Doneeka Hodges and Aiysha Smith added 14 and 13, respectively.
LaToya Thomas poured in 32 points to lead State, who shot just 39 percent from the field for the game compared to the Lady Tigers’ 54 percent.
“LaToya is a special, special player,” Gunter said. “She’s just outstanding.”
Augustus’ injury did not appear to be serious, but she did not re-enter the game. Smith also appeared to be hobbled by an ankle injury in the final minutes.
Gunter did not specify how serious the injuries were, but said it would be a priority to get the two players healthy before Thursday’s home game against Alabama.
After trailing by three at halftime, LSU tied the contest 42-42, but the Lady ‘Dogs expanded the lead to five on several ocassions. But the Lady Tigers went on a 7-0 run, capped by a Doneeka Hodges’ 3-pointer to take a 63-61 lead, their first of the game.
The Lady Tigers latched onto the lead for good at 67-65. Johnson added four free throws and a layup and Aiysha Smith came up with a big rebound off of a missed LSU free throw to seal the deal.
With LSU outrebounding State 40-39, the Lady Tigers continued a trend of successful rebounding and winning. In each of LSU’s eight conference wins, it has outrebounded the opponents.