The LSU women’s basketball team extended its winning streak to four when it defeated No. 8 Kentucky 77-72 on Sunday in the PMAC ,a mere two days after an emotional overtime victory in Columbia, Mo.
LSU junior guard Jeanne Kenney lifted the Lady Tigers (17-11, 8-6 Southeastern Conference) past Kentucky (23-4, 11-3 SEC) with a career performance off the bench in which she scored a game-high 22 points.
Kenney hit her first five shots and finished the game shooting 7-for-8 from the field and 5-for-5 from behind the arc.
“I’m on top of the world,” Kenney said. “We beat the No. 8 team in the country at our place. I can’t even describe it. It’s a great win.”
This performance came despite Kenney facing a foot injury and the recent death of her grandfather. LSU coach Nikki Caldwell said she was unsure if Kenney would play going into the contest.
“The fact that [Kenney] came back to play today is a testimony to where she is as a player, and more importantly, who she is as a person,” Caldwell said.
The Lady Tigers took a commanding 43-32 lead into the locker room after an electric first half in which they shot 64 percent from the field and 5-for-6 from 3-point range.
Kenney provided the spark that led to the early lead, scoring 11 points and hitting three 3-pointers late in the half.
The Wildcats then fought their way back into the game by opening the second half with an 8-0 run to cut LSU’s lead to three.
Both teams traded punches for the rest of the period. Kentucky finally tied the game at 64 with a layup from senior guard A’dia Mathies with 4:03 remaining in the game. But Kenney responded immediately with a 3-pointer to give LSU a lead it would never relinquish.
Caldwell said the Lady Tigers were determined not to lose another game down the stretch.
“We’ve told our kids time and time again, it is not good enough to play for 34 or 36 minutes,” Caldwell said. “We have to play 40-minute basketball, and today we did just that.”
LSU junior forward Theresa Plaisance earned a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 13 rebounds with three blocks. Mathies led the Wildcats with a team-high 20 points, six rebounds and two steals.
LSU junior forward Shanece McKinney continued her recent success in the post, earning five blocks before suffering a leg injury late in the game. McKinney missed the rest of the game, but Caldwell said she is not expected to miss any future games.
The Lady Tigers will look to further solidify a spot in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday when they play host to Alabama for Senior Night.
“I’m on top of the world. We beat the No. 8 team in the country at our place. I can’t even describe it. It’s a great win.”
